Yesterday, on the 7 November 2016, the Open Society Foundation held a meeting on the topic “Migration and asylum: 1.000 testimonies of torture en route”. The Foundation presented new findings concerning trafficking routes and gave a thorough insight on the traumatising experiences of migrants subjected to torture during their journey.
On Monday, 29 November 2016, the Irish European Parliament member Brian Hayes hosted a conference on Eritrea in the European Parliament. Despite the fact that the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea (COIE) found in its latest report the perpetrating of crimes against humanity by Eritrean officials, the country’s Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel was invited as keynote speaker of the meeting. Gebremeskel was present despite protests from human rights advocates and more than 800 Eritreans and supporters who petitioned against the meeting taking place.
Five MEPs have put out a press release under the lead of MEP Marie-Christine Vergiat. The Press release responds to the planned conference on 28 November in the European Parliament, which is controversial due to the fact that Eritrean minister for information, Yemane Gebremeskel, is keynote speaker. The MEPs denounce the human rights situation in Eritrea en Gebremeskel’s role in this.