martes, 19 de mayo de 2009
Recipient countries should stop the return of Eritrean refugees
The widespread practice in Eritrea detention and torture of its citizens and its policy of extending compulsory military service are creating a human rights crisis and causing increasingly Eritreans flee the country, Human Rights Watch said in a report published today.
The 95-page report “Service for life: State Repression and indefinite Conscription in Eritrea” (perpetual Service: State repression and indefinite military service in Eritrea) documents serious human rights violations committed by the Eritrean government, including arbitrary detention, torture, appalling prison conditions, forced labor and severe restrictions on freedom of movement, expression and worship. It also examines the plight faced by the Eritreans who manage to escape to other countries such as Libya, Sudan, Egypt and Italy.
"The Government of Eritrea is turning the country into a giant prison," said Georgette Gagnon, Africa director for Human Rights Watch. "Eritrea must immediately accountable for the hundreds of prisoners' disappeared 'and to open its prisons to independent review," he added.
Human Rights Watch urged the United States and European Union to coordinate with the UN and the African Union to resolve regional tensions and to ensure that development assistance given to Eritrea is linked with progress in human rights.
The EU has recently approved an assistance package of 122 million for Eritrea, despite the concern for the employment of persons in military service or imprisonment for development projects, a violation of international law.
The report, based on over 50 interviews with victims and witnesses of the Eritrean abuse in three countries, says that the Eritrean government uses an extensive system of detention centers and secret officers to imprison thousands of people without charge or trial. Many of the prisoners are detained for their political or religious beliefs, others for trying to escape military service or flee the country indefinitely.
Torture, cruel and degrading treatment and forced labor are common both to those who perform military service for prisoners. Detention conditions are terrible: Prisoners are often crammed into cells (sometimes underground) or in containers that reach blistering temperatures during the day and freezing at night.
Those who attempt escape are at risk of severe punishment and that they fire when crossing the border. The government also punishes the families of those who escaped or deserted from military service with exorbitant fines or prison sentences. Despite these harsh measures, thousands of Eritreans are still trying to flee the country.
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