The Eritrean Orthodox Church Tewahdo (EOC) has planned two peaceful demonstrations in the United States (US) calling for the release and reinstatement of the church’s legitimate leader, Patriarch Antonios, who has been under house arrest for over a decade. The first demonstration, organised by St Gabriel’s…
African activists urge Eritrea’s leader to launch reforms
(Washington Post, by Associated Press, KAMPALA, Uganda, June 11 2019 ) — More than 100 African writers and activists are urging Eritrea’s authoritarian leader to protect basic freedoms and launch political reforms in the continent’s “most closed society.” Read the full article here…
Leading Africans reach out to Afwerki, but will Eritrea respond?
(Africa Times, By Laureen Fagan, 11 June 2019) More than 100 African thought leaders have appealed to the Eritrean president to allow a delegation to visit the isolated Horn of Africa nation, meet with its leaders and citizens, and open a dialogue with a view toward…
Eritrea: Hajji Ibrahim Younus Dies in Custody
Hajji Ibrahim Younus, who was arrested in October 2017 along with dozens of others owing to the long-simmering repercussions of the Al-Diaa School protests, has died in Mai Serwa prison in Asmara, Eritrea, reportedly on 30th January 2019. He was in his late seventies, and a member…
What Did Canadian Mining Executives Know about Possible Human Rights Violations in Eritrea?
Mine workers suing Nevsun Resources over allegations of forced labour, slavery, torture (CBC News, Scott Anderson, Jan 22, 2019) For years, Vancouver-based mining firm Nevsun Resources has dismissed allegations that forced labour was used to build its mine in the repressive east African country of Eritrea. Nevsun…
House Democrats Urge Israel to Release Jailed African Asylum Seekers
(Jewish Telegraphic Agency, March 29, 2018) A Democratic congressional delegation that met this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the release of African asylum seekers being held in an Israeli prison. In a letter Tuesday that originated in the office of House Democratic leader…
Standing with African Migrants, Former IDF Fighters Recall Their ‘hell’
After suppressing traumatic memories for years, soldiers who greeted asylum seekers in Israel after their long journey in the deserts of Africa have decided to share their experiences; ‘While I was on guard duty, I saw the Egyptians placing them in a row and executing them,’…
Israel Reaches Deal With UN to Deport Asylum Seekers to West, Not Africa
Netanyahu says Canada, Germany, Italy among countries to take in asylum seekers ■ Israel will deport 16,250 refugees to West, grant 16,250 temporary residency status Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Canada, Germany and Italy are among the Western countries that will take in asylum…
UNHCR and Israel Sign Agreement to Find Solutions for Eritreans and Sudanese
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the State of Israel today signed a Framework of Common Understanding to promote solutions for thousands of Eritreans and Sudanese living in Israel. A joint working group will be set up with a series of objectives and a timetable to…
Israel’s Deputy Attorney General Orders Review of Eritrean Applications for Asylum
Her decision follows last month’s ruling by a Jerusalem court that desertion from the Eritrean army may serve as a basis for refugee status Deputy Attorney General Dina Zilber instructed the Population and Immigration Authority Thursday to reexamine the cases of Eritreans held in Saharonim Prison…
Australian Mining Company Defends Eritrea at the UN
As the United Nations debates Eritrea’s troubled human rights record, an Australian mining company has taken the extraordinary step of appearing with the Eritrean regime to help it defend its actions. Western Australian Danakali Resources runs a potash mine in partnership with the Eritrea government. Its…
Eritrea Arrests Hundreds of Perceived Opponents: U.N.
NAIROBI (Reuters) – Eritrean authorities detained hundreds of perceived opponents this month after a school director who defied government orders died in custody, the United Nations said on Wednesday. Most of those arrested were males and some were as young as 13, Sheila B. Keetharuth, the…
UN Calls for Release of Arbitrarily Arrested in Eritrea
GENEVA — The United Nations Human Rights Office is calling on the Eritrean government to immediately release all people who are arbitrarily detained and ensure they receive a fair trial. On Wednesday, a senior rights official updated the U.N. Human Rights Council on the prevailing rights situation in Eritrea.…
Eritrean Government Demands Ransoms from Refugees for Detained Family Members
Sources have notified Human Rights Concern – Eritrea (HRCE) that their family members are being held for ransom by the Eritrean authorities after attempting to cross the border to join their loved ones. A number of desperate Eritreans in the diaspora have contacted HRCE, informing us…
Nevsun’s Bid to Have Human Rights Case Moved to Eritrea Dismissed by B.C. Court
(CIM-Magazine, Kelsey Rolfe, November 22, 2017) Lawsuit against Nevsun Resources alleging company violated international forced labour norms will go ahead in B.C. court The British Columbia Court of Appeals dismissed a claim from Nevsun Resources to have a human rights case against it moved to Eritrea, where…
Threat of Expulsion Hangs over Thousands of Eritreans Who Sought Refuge in Israel and the US
(The Conversation, Martin Plaut, November 23, 2017) Bahabolom must be one of the luckiest men alive. Now in Switzerland, granted refugee status, and studying French and German, his extraordinary journey nearly cost him his life. “I was like a football – kicked from one country to…
Canadian Firm to Face Historic Legal Case over Alleged Labour Abuses in Eritrea
(The Guardian, Ashifa Kassam, November 23, 2017) Appeals court rules against mining company Nevsun Resources, clearing way for workers to have claims of human rights violations heard in Canadian court. A Canadian mining company has lost its bid to block a lawsuit accusing it of human…
Why Must Eritreans be Crushed into Silence?
On October 31st 2017, a student-led protest in the capital of Eritrea was met with gunfire, after the demonstrators gathered in the streets of Asmara to demand the opening of their school which had been forcibly closed. They were primarily students of the Al Diaa Islamic School – a…
Appeal court confirms slave labour lawsuit against Canadian mining company can go to trial
(CCIJ, Vancouver, BC, Canada, November 21, 2017) British Columbia’s highest court today rejected an appeal by Vancouver-based Nevsun Resources Limited (TSX: NSU / NYSE MKT: NSU) that sought to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Eritreanswho allege they were forced to work at Nevsun’s Bisha Mine. The ruling by…
Reuters: Nevsun Loses Bid to Stop Canadian Lawsuit over Forced Labor Claims in Africa Mine
(Reuters, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Nov 21) – Nevsun Resources Ltd lost its bid to have a Canadian court throw out a lawsuit by Eritreans workers who say they were forced to work at its mine in East Africa, according to an appeals court judgment released on…