News Highlights: Eritrea Foundation summons EU over forced labour, Fighting around Tripoli, Roundtable discusses Libya

In this week’s news highlights: Eritrea Foundation summons the EU to stop supporting use of forced labour in Eritrea Project; Roundtable at the EU parliament hosted by MEPs and EEPA; EU increases on FRONTEX capacity and reach; UNHCR Senior Official raised concerns on the situation of 35 children in Calais; 250 NGOs ask Angela Merkel for a Mediterranean solidarity plan; Dutch government blocks Sea Watch 3 and other NGOs; The UN Human Rights Committee expresses grave concern on the human rights situation in Eritrea; Fighting in south Tripoli, UN expresses concern; report describes the shift from smuggling to trafficking in Libya; and UNHCR calls for more funding for refugees in Libya.

Roundtable on 1 April at the EU parliament: “Inhumane treatment and trafficking of people in Libya – The EU’s and EU Member states’ responsibility”

The roundtable was held from 18:30 – 20:00 and was hosted by Marie-Christine Vergiat (GUE/NGL Group) and Ana Gomes (S&D Group) together with the organisation Europe External Programme with Africa (EEPA). Human rights activists, journalists, NGO representatives and experts spoke during … Continued

BREAKING NEWS: Foundation Human Rights for Eritreans Summons EU to Stop Supporting Use of Forced Labour in Eritrean Project

Brussels, 1 April 2019 – The Foundation Human Rights for Eritreans, a Netherlands-based organization of exiled Eritreans, is taking legal action against the European Union. The EU is financing activities in Eritrea for which forced labour is used, as is stated in the EU’s project description: a project of 20 million euros. This is a clear violation of human rights and the EU’s adherence to international legal obligations, states the Foundation. On 1 April, today, the lawyer supporting the Foundation sent letters to the EU institutions in charge of the project. The letters call upon the EU to immediately stop financing these actions, or legal action will follow.