On Friday, the 6 January 2017, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (F.A.Z.) released an article titled “Not everything is that bad in Eritrea, is it?” (orig.: Alles gar nicht so schlimm in Eritrea?) in which European diplomats raise doubts about the credibility of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry (COI) report 2016 concerning the human rights situation in Eritrea.
The situation in Eritrea is severe and reports show that crimes against humanity are committed in Eritrea on a daily basis. The fact that the people in Eritrea are forced into military service for an indefinite time and face slave labour in their country causes an ever-growing number of Eritreans to flee and to risk their lives on their way to Europe. These crimes against humanity have recently been confirmed and reported by UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea. Two ongoing petitions call attention in order to gain support for the condemnation of human rights violations in Eritrea.
This week marks the 15th year since Eritrean authorities arrested a group ministers, members of parliament and independent journalists. They have not been charged or tried, their whereabouts and state of health are unknown.