Service for Life. State Repression and Indefinite Conscription in Eritrea
Human Rights Watch
April, 2009, Human Rights Watch:
This report documents the Eritrean government’s responsibility for patterns of serious human rights violations: arbitrary arrest and detention, torture, forced labor, and inhuman conditions in detention; rigid restrictions on freedom of movement and expression; and religious persecution Eritrea routinely arbitrarily detains people who criticize the president, the government, and the military, those who try and evade national service or desert from the army, and those who practice or are perceived to be members of unregistered Christian religions. Once arrested, many detainees “disappear”—their families are unable to ascertain their whereabouts and are only occasionally informed if the individuals die in custody.
Table of contents:
Map of Eritrea
Summary
Methodology
Recommendations
To the government of Eritrea
To the United States and the European Union
To donors: the European Commission, the World Bank, and UN agencies
To the African Union
To countries hosting Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers, in particular Egypt, Sudan,
Libya, Malta, Israel, Turkey, Italy, Sweden, and the UK
To the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Part 1: Background
Historical Context
Eritrea’s Regional Role
The Humanitarian Situation
Part 2: Human Rights Violations
Overview
Arbitrary Arrest, Detentions, and “Disappearances”
Torture and Cruel, Inhuman, and Degrading Treatment
Prison Conditions
Extra-Judicial Killings and Deaths in Custody
Indefinite Forced Conscription
Forced Labor
Restrictions on the Freedoms of Expression, Conscience, and Movement
Part 3: The Experience of Eritrean Refugees
Lack of Protection and Forced Return of Refugees
Coercion of Eritreans in Exile
Part 4: Eritrea’s Legal Obligations
Eritrean Laws and Constitution
Eritrea’s International Obligations
Forced Labor
Part 5: Responding to Eritrea’s Crisis
Eritrean Foreign Policy
Acknowledgements
Annex: A List of Known Detention Facilities in Eritrea
Source(s):
| Language | Format | Source |
|---|---|---|
| English | PDF document |  view/download |