Eritrea Singled Out at 37th Session UN HR Council as Country of "Grave Concern"

2018-03-15 19:33:05 Written by  EPDP Information Office Published in EPDP News Read 2603 times

The human rights situation in Eritrea is again discussed as a problem of "very grave concern" to everybody, including to Africa, at the 37th Session of the UN Human Rights Council currently holding meetings in Geneva. So far, Eritrea was hotly debated on 12 March and again on 14 March with more talks to follow during this Session started on 26 February and due to continue till 23 March 2018. The rare privilege of Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on Eritrea took place on 12 March, and the problem was again at the Session on 14 March alongside North Korea.

 

This is a must listen clip to all concerned: ttp://webtv.un.org/watch/enhanced-id-sr-on-human-rights-in-eritrea-30th-meeting-37th-regular-session-human-rights-council/5749738297001/

 

Ms. Kate Gilmore, the Deputy High Commissioner of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), reported the continuation of "severe urtailment" of all basic rights in Eritrea, which among the "most least free" countries of the world.   Ms. Sheila Keetharuth, the UN expert on Eritrea, presented her oral report describing Eritrea as a notorious state keeping :its detainees until death", and mentioned the death of the 93-year old Haj Mussa as the latest one in this sad list. Even the African Commission for Human and Peoples Rights was at hand to express the African Union's "deep concern" of what has been going in Eritrea since a long time. He called on the Asmara regime to start respecting regional and international instruments on peoples political and human rights. Many other speakers lamented the unchanging human rights situation in Eritrea.

 

Again speaking at the 37th Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) on 14 March, Ms. Gilmore reiterated that gross violations of human rights in Eritrea like arbitrary detention are "still the norm" in that country where nothing has changed since OHCHR's last updates to the Council.

She said a delegation of the OHCHR was in Asmara for the fourth time last October and had to conclude once more that the only option remaining is to keep alive "the findings of the 2016 Commission of Inquiry on human rights in Eritrea". Her other topmost concern was the situation in North Korea.

Ms Gilmore said the issues raised with the Asmara authorities included access to justice, ending the indefinite national service, release of people who were arbitrary detained, and enacting a constitution. She added, "Though the [HRC] resolution requested the Government to provide the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights with information on the identity and whereabouts of all detained persons, this information had not been provided"  till now.

The Eritrean delegate as usual denied the OHCHR report and instead claimed that the regime is "committed to protecting the human rights of its citizens and efforts had been invested to address existing challenges".  

In the general debate, speakers voiced concern over deteriorating human rights situations across the world and called for implementation of relevant UN resolutions, further stressing that "the persecution and silencing of journalists, political opposition members, and rights defenders remained serious concerns in many countries," of course including in Eritrea, where widespread perpetration of crimes against humanity was reported by the UN Commission of Inquiry on human rights in Eritrea.

The 37th HRC Session is a mid-term event receiving oral reports from all concerned. The main Session for written reports and decisions will be held in June-July this year. Eritrean human rights activists are deeply concerned about the fate of the UN Human Rights Rapporteur because Ms Sheila Keetharuth is intending to resign at a time when the Eritrean regime and its supporters are pushing to dissolve the mandate.






Last modified on Thursday, 15 March 2018 20:50