Amnesty International condemns gov’t for forced repatriation of Eritreans
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Amnesty International says it has monitored the continued arbitrary detention and summary deportation of Eritrean refugees over the past year
“Credible reports from Ethiopia indicate that within the last three months alone, more than 600 Eritreans have been forcibly returned to Eritrea,” reads the letter.
Describing the human rights situation of Eritrean refugees as “dire,” the organization stated that Eritreans are facing hardship in Ethiopia and Sudan, where ongoing conflict has led to severe violations.
The rights group’s letter stated that in June 2024, the UN Special Rapporteur documented extensive human rights violations against Eritrean refugees in Sudan.
“Eritrean refugees, particularly women and girls in Sudan, in areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), are facing severe human rights violations,” the letter reads.
In August 2024, Amnesty International reported that Türkiye forcibly returned approximately 180 Eritreans to Eritrea, violating their legal right to protection and the principle of non-refoulement.
The group attributed the displacement of Eritreans to “decades-long forced and indefinite conscription,” which it characterized as “forced labor” that, in some cases, amounts to slavery.
However, Eritrea’s Minister of Information, Yemane Gebremeskel, rejected all accusations against the country on social media, dismissing them as a “recycling of inflammatory propaganda.”
According to Yemane, the reports stem from a wave of historical distortions, misinterpretations of international law, and revisions of regional history.
“All these to justify and rationalize what is clearly illegal and that can only destabilize the region,” his statement read.The plight of Eritreans was also a main talking point during the recent UN Human Rights Council conference, where experts and advocates said that Asmara’s repressive actions have taken a considerable toll in the form of restrictions on freedom of expression, forced labor, indefinite conscription, and mandatory national service for both men and women.
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