Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:07

UN experts urge Ethiopia to halt mass deportation of Eritreans

Written by Martin Plaut

Martin Plaut posted: " UN experts today* condemned Ethiopia's summary expulsion of hundreds of Eritreans at the end of June. They called on the authorities to immediately halt any further deportations and put an end to the continuing reports of arbitrary detention of Eritrean" Martin Plaut

Martin Plaut

Jul 13

UN experts today* condemned Ethiopia's summary expulsion of hundreds of Eritreans at the end of June. They called on the authorities to immediately halt any further deportations and put an end to the continuing reports of arbitrary detention of Eritrean refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants.

“Collective expulsions are prohibited under international law,” the experts said. “Deporting migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers without conducting an individual and objective risk assessment of their exposure to human rights violations, including torture and enforced disappearance, upon return is refoulement.”

Source: United Nations

13 July 2023

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GENEVA (13 July 2023) – UN experts today* condemned Ethiopia's summary expulsion of hundreds of Eritreans at the end of June. They called on the authorities to immediately halt any further deportations and put an end to the continuing reports of arbitrary detention of Eritrean refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants.

“Collective expulsions are prohibited under international law,” the experts said. “Deporting migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers without conducting an individual and objective risk assessment of their exposure to human rights violations, including torture and enforced disappearance, upon return is refoulement.”

The non-refoulement principle, enshrined in the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and other international human rights treaties and legal instruments, applies to all forms of expulsion, regardless of nationality or migration status, they said.

“Several cases of family separation have been reported following the mass deportations, with parents forced back to Eritrea and children left behind in Ethiopia,” the experts said.

Patterns of human rights violations against forcibly returned Eritreans, including torture, ill-treatment, enforced disappearance, trafficking and arbitrary detention, have been well documented in previous reports by the UN Commission of Inquiry on Eritrea and the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea. “There is no information on the fate or whereabouts of those deported since their return to Eritrea,” the experts said. “We urge the Eritrean authorities to provide information on their fate and whereabouts and to ensure that they can have access to their relatives, lawyers or anyone of their choice.”

The Ethiopian Refugee and Returnee Service (RSS) stated that those deported were not refugees or asylum seekers. However, according to several credible sources, the group included both registered and unregistered refugees and asylum-seekers. The RSS stopped registering newly arrived asylum-seekers in March 2020, preventing them from accessing the asylum process and from applying for protection under international human rights and refugee law.

“The lack of registration and accompanying documentation places refugees and asylum-seekers in a situation of heightened vulnerability and hinders their access to their human rights in Ethiopia,” the experts said. “We urge organisations with refugee protection mandates, including UNHCR, to mobilise and engage proactively with the Ethiopian authorities to address the lack of access to the asylum system and relevant documentation for asylum-seekers and refugees.”

The UN experts expressed grave concern about the ongoing situation of Eritreans in Ethiopia, noting the reports of continued arrests and prolonged arbitrary detention of Eritreans for alleged violations of immigration law, without charge, without access to a lawyer and without judicial process.

“Immigration detention should be an exceptional measure of last resort, used only for adults, for the shortest period of time and for a legitimate purpose,” the experts said. “It also appears that the authorities are specifically targeting Eritreans, a practice that constitutes discrimination.”

ENDS

*The experts: Mohamed Babiker, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea; Siobhán Mullally, Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children; Felipe González Morales, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants; Aua Baldé (Chair-Rapporteur), Gabriella Citroni (Vice-Chair), Angkhana Neelapaijit, Grażyna Baranowska, Ana Lorena Delgadillo Perez, Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances; Ms. Priya Gopalan (Chair-Rapporteur), Mr. Matthew Gillett (Vice-Chair on Communications), Ms. Ganna Yudkivska (Vice-Chair on Follow-Up), Ms. Miriam Estrada-Castillo, and Mr. Mumba Malila, Working Group on arbitrary detention and Felipe González Morales Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants.

Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN human rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms. Special Procedures mandate-holders are independent human rights experts appointed by the Human Rights Council to address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. They are not UN staff and are independent from any government or organisation. They serve in their individual capacity and do not receive a salary for their work.

Wednesday, 19 July 2023 21:56

President Isaias “Not interested in foreign bases” on Eritrean territory – Ambassador to Moscow Petros Tseggai

Written by Martin Plaut

Martin Plaut posted: " "According to the ambassador, Eritrea's position on the presence of foreign military bases on its territory remains unchanged after President Isaias Afwerki's visit to Moscow – the country is not interested in the deployment of such facilities." Eritr" Martin Plaut

Martin Plaut

Jul 18

"According to the ambassador, Eritrea's position on the presence of foreign military bases on its territory remains unchanged after President Isaias Afwerki's visit to Moscow – the country is not interested in the deployment of such facilities."

Eritrean President to Attend Russia–Africa Summit, Ambassador Says

The Second Summit Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum will take place in St. Petersburg from July 27-28.The First Russia-Africa Summit and Economic Forum was held in the Russian resort city of Sochi in October 2019.

In late May, during Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki's visit to Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin extended an invitation to his Eritrean counterpart to attend the second Russia–Africa Summit to be held in St. Petersburg, Russia, on July 27-28.

Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki plans to attend the second Russia–Africa summit to be held in St. Petersburg on July 27-28, Asmara's Ambassador to Moscow Petros Tseggai Asghedom told Sputnik in an interview.

"Mr. Afwerki has accepted the invitation [of Russian President Vladimir Putin] and plans to come to the summit," Tseggai said.

He added that among the expected agenda items are international security issues and the problem of the arms race in outer space.

In early June, in an exclusive interview with Sputnik Africa, the Eritrean President said that the upcoming Second Russia–Africa Summit, which will be attended by all African leaders, might serve as a platform to discuss "how could governments and nations in Africa engage to promote this partnership that will change the quality of life and enable African peoples to enjoy the resources they have by designing and implementing programs for development."

At the meeting in May, Afwerki and Putin reached agreements on international security and military cooperation. The import of Russian grain to the country was probably also discussed, and the results of these agreements will be seen in the near future, the ambassador said.

Earlier, Putin said when meeting with the Eritrean leader that Moscow and Asmara intend to ink a number of intergovernmental agreements, and that the two countries have good prospects for cooperation in many areas.

During the meeting of the heads of state, certain agreements were reached in many areas. For example, in the sphere of culture, international security, military cooperation, and many others, Tsegay said, adding that it is too early to talk about concrete results, but "the results will be visible in the near future".

According to the diplomat, the two leaders had an extensive agenda during the gathering, that touched upon all major issues, including the issue of direct grain supplies. He stressed that the countries are at the beginning of an extensive "road of long, fruitful cooperation".

In particular, the ambassador said that Eritrea was currently interested in studying the issues of prioritizing products for delivery. He added that time will tell how the relations between the two countries will develop in this direction.

Western Pressure Over Ties With Russia

The United States is trying to vilify and demonize Eritrea and its leadership because of its support for Russia and for the African country's desire to go its own way, Washington supports organizations that oppose the interests of Asmara, according to the Eritrean envoy to Moscow.

He added that Eritrea has been under pressure for more than 80 years.

Earlier, Eritrea's foreign minister said after talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that Asmara is under constant pressure from Washington because of its support for Moscow's position, but the African nation won't succumb to it.

According to the ambassador, in light of recent events, such as the meeting between the leaders of Eritrea and Russia in May, there is a growing tendency to increase pressure on Eritrea by expanding sanctions and supporting organizations that oppose its interests.

According to the ambassador, Eritrea's position on the presence of foreign military bases on its territory remains unchanged after President Isaias Afwerki's visit to Moscow – the country is not interested in the deployment of such facilities.

Continuing to Engage with Moscow

Petros Tseggai also announced that Eritrea and Russia are planning to exchange delegations in the near future. During these meetings, the two sides will explore the potential for establishing business contacts.

The Eritrean ambassador admitted that the current level of business contacts between the two countries is low, but assured that efforts are being made to improve this situation.

"Once certain mechanisms of interstate cooperation are in place, we can expect an increase in business agenda activity," he said.

The ambassador hoped that Russian companies would participate in oil exploration in his country. He stressed that the current oil reserves in Eritrea have not been fully explored and called for further research and exploration.

The envoy highlighted the visits by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Asmara and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki to Moscow, and hoped that these visits would lead to the assistance of Russian companies in resolving this issue.

Although no substantive discussions have yet taken place, the ambassador expressed optimism that work in this area of bilateral relations would begin soon.

Wednesday, 19 July 2023 00:21

ዛዛሚ ኣኼባ ኣሰናዳኢት ሽማግለ 4ይ ጉባአ

Written by ቤት ጽሕፈት ዜና ሰዲህኤ

ኣሰናዳኢት ሽማገል 4ይ ጉባአ ሰልፊ ዲሞክራሲ ህዝቢ ኤርትራ (ሰዲህኤ)፡ ብ15 ሓምለ 2023 መበል 11ን ዛዛምን ኣኼባኣ ኣካይዳ። እታ ሽማገል ኣብዚ ናይ ዝሓለፈ ሓደ ዓመት መስርሕ ምድላው ጉባአ ዝዳህሰሰትሉ ኣኼባ፡ ንጉባአ ዝምልከት ኩሉ ምስንደኣት ከም ዝተጻፈፈ ኣረግጊጻ። እዚ ከምዚሉ እንከሎ፡ ኣባላት ጉባአ ድሮ ናብቲ ብ23 ሓምለ 2023 ዝኽፈት ጉባአ ዝካየደሉ ሃገር ጀርመን ክኣትዉ ጀሚሮም ምህላዎም ተፈሊጡ ኣሎ።

እዚ ብደረጃ ኤርትራ፡ ዞባናን ዓለምን ዝተፈላለዩ ምዕባለታትን ዝምድናታትን ኣብ ዝረኣየሉ ዘሎ ውዑይ ግዜ ዝጋባእ 4ይ ጉባአ ሰዲህኤ፡ ምልኣት ተሳተፍቲ ድሕሪ ተረጋጊጹ ከም ዝኽፈትን ጸብጻብ ኣሰናዳኢት ሽማግለ ከም ዝቐርብን ተፈሊጡሎ። ብዘይካዚ ኣብቲ ጉባአ ናይ ዝሓለፉ 4ተ ዓመታት ምሉእ ንጥፈታት ሰዲህኤ ዝድህስስ ጸብጻብ በብመዳዩ ብኣቦመንበር ማእከላይ ባይቶ ቀሪቡ ምይይጥ ምስ ተኻየደሉ ከም ሰነድ ሰልፊ ብጉባአ ክጸድቕ እዩ። ከምኡ ከኣ ሰዲህኤ ኣብ መጻኢ ዝቃለሰሉ ሰፊሕን ዓሚቕን ፖለቲካዊ መደብ ዕዮን ዝምረሓሉ ቅዋምን ዝምልከቱ ንድፍታት ቀሪቦም፡ ተሳተፍቲ ምስተመያየጥሎም ክጸድቁ እዮም። እዞም ንድፍታት መሰረታት ሰዲህኤ በብትካላዊ ጽፍሖምን ብደረጅ ሰሚናርን ክመያየጥሎም ዝጸንሑ እዮም። ብዛዕባ እዋናዊ ኣገደስቲ ምዕባለታት ኤርትራን ከባብናን ዘተኰሩ ፖለቲካዊ ዛዕባታት ብምግምጋም ኣገደስቲ ፖለቲካዊ ውሳነታት ከም ዝውስን እውን ትጽቢት ኣሎ።

ከምኡ እውን 4ይ ጉባአ ሰዲህኤ ንቐጻሊ ዓመታት ነቲ ሰልፊ ዝመርሑ ሓጻይት ሽማግለ ብተሳትፎ መላእ ኣባላት ሰልፊ ኣጻርያ ካብ እተቕርቦም ሕጹያት፡ ኣባላት ማእከላይ ባይቶ ክምረጹ እዮም። ጉባአ ጠቕላላ ተቖጻጻሪ ገንዘብን ንብረትን ሰልፊ’ውን ክመርጽ እዩ። ደምዳሚ መግለጺ ብምውጻእ ስርሑ ከም ዝዛዘም ድማ ምንጪ ኣሰናዳኢት ሽማግለ ጠቒሱ።

ዕድመ ዝተገብረሎም ወከልቲ ፖለቲካዊ ውድባት፡ ማሕበራትን ምንቅስቓስን ኤርትራ ናይ ምሕዝነት መልእኽቶም ከመሓላልፉ እዮም። ብዛዕባቲ ጉባአ ዜናዊ ጸብጻባት ንምድላውን ናብ ህዝቢ ንምዝርጋሕን ዝተዓደሙ ማዕከናት ዜና ክሳተፉ እውን ትጽቢት ኣሎ።

ብኻልእ ወገን ድማ ናይቲ ካብ 28-30 ሓምለ 2023 ዝካየድ ፈስቲቫል ኤርትራ ፍራንክፈርት ኣሰናዳኢት ሽማግለ፡ ምድላዋታ ከም ዘጻፈፈት ገሊጻ። እዚ ፈስቲቫል ነቲ ብ23 ሓምለ ተኸፊቱ ብ26 ሓምለ 2023 ዝዛዘም 4ይ ጉባአ ተኸቲሉ ስለ ዝጋባእ ተሳተፍቲ ጉባአ ኣብዚ ፈስቲቫል ከም ዝካፈሉን ውጽኢት ጉባአ ንተሳተፍቲ ኣብ መድረኽ ፈስቲቫል ከም ዝግለጽን ተፈሊጡ ኣሎ።

Tuesday, 18 July 2023 00:30

Having failed once…the Eritrean government tries again to hold a German festival

Written by Eritrea Hub

AUGUST 30, 2022 ERITREA HUB ETHIOPIA, NEWS

Klaus-Dieter Grothe, Green city councilor and regular participant in demonstrations against events organized by the regime, emphasizes: “It is a deliberate provocation by the Eritrean state.” He appeals to the authorities to cancel the event, as they did in Switzerland.

Source: Giessen Allgemeine

In the Hessenhallen in Gießen: Eritrea Festival planned again on Saturday

Created:08/30/2022, 06:35 am

By: Kays Al-Khanak

Whether there will be a counter-demonstration against the Eritrean consulate’s event in the Hessenhallen – like here on August 20 – is not yet certain. © Harald Friedrich

The event of the Eritrean consulate in the Hessenhallen, which was canceled due to violent clashes, is to take place again in Gießen. The city sees this very critically.

Gießen – Exactly two weeks after the violent clashes on the sidelines of an event organized by the Eritrean consulate in the Hessenhallen, this is to take place again in Gießen. As Mayor Alexander Wright tells this newspaper, a consulate event that has been declared a “catch-up date” is planned for Saturday, September 3. The fair informed the city about this. “We take a very critical view of that,” emphasizes Wright. Therefore, the requirements have been significantly increased.

On Saturday, August 20, the event in the Hessenhallen, which was declared a cultural festival, was canceled by the police for security reasons. Before that, around 100 people – presumably Eritreans in exile – had climbed over the fences and stormed the site . They had gathered on the Saturday of the city festival independently of an officially announced and peaceful counter-demonstration. The clashes, which police said used sticks, poles, stones and knives, injured 33 people, including seven police officers. The situation was only calmed down after the deployment of 300 officials from all over Hesse.

Controversial Eritrea Festival in Gießen: Several cancellations in neighboring countries

For critics, the events of the consulate are not harmless cultural festivals, but propaganda events and a good source of foreign exchange for a dictatorship. Eritrea is one of the most isolated and censored countries in the world; According to reports from human rights organizations, the population is oppressed and their freedoms restricted. When it comes to assessing the regime, there is a deep rift in the Eritrean diaspora: for some, Isaias Afewerki is a hero who led the state to independence in 1993 and has since served as president with his one-party government. The Eritreans who have fled since the 2000s see this differently. Especially with them it caused a lot of trouble that in a kind of European tour, which also went to Gießen on August 20th.

The poet is shown on posters in a military uniform and beret and is considered the regime’s “chief propagandist” who agitates against its opponents. Eritrea’s participation in the war in Tigray, Ethiopia, is also likely to have fueled the conflict between the two groups. The European tour of the Eritrean regime had recently been dampened. Appearances in Sweden, the Netherlands and most recently in Switzerland have been canceled by the authorities. According to information, the Eritrea Festival was supposed to be held in Oslo, Norway, on September 3rd.

Gießen: Personalized tickets for another Eritrea festival

As Mayor Wright, who is responsible for the Gießen regulatory office, says, the authority wants to oblige the organizer to name the correct time at which the festival should begin – this did not happen last time. In addition, the Eritrean consulate must issue the number of participants and personalized tickets to the visitors. The fences around the Hessenhallen must be provided with climbing protection and the entrances with turnstiles.

According to the city, an official cancellation of the event is not possible because there are narrow limits for such a step. However, even before the event on August 20, Wright had given the fair more options to prevent the event. However, the GmbH, which acts as a private landlord, points out that it is obliged to make rooms available “non-discriminatory” because refusals for religious and political reasons are quickly overturned by the courts. The city sees this differently, since the Eritrean consulate’s event is not a party conference.

Giessen: Messe has a “contractual obligation that we are meeting with this appointment”

At the request of this newspaper, the trade fair announced: “We still have a contractual obligation, which we are fulfilling with this date.” The regulatory authorities have become active; the trade fair is also in contact with the authorities and organizers to ensure safety. It is not yet clear to what extent the Eritrean opposition will call for a counter-demonstration. Klaus-Dieter Grothe, Green city councilor and regular participant in demonstrations against events organized by the regime, emphasizes: “It is a deliberate provocation by the Eritrean state.” He appeals to the authorities to cancel the event, as in Switzerland.