Daniel Mekonnen: deconstructing the myth of a “promising” political change in Eritrea
On 24 November 2016, Eritrean lawyer Daniel Mekonnen gave a speech at a panel discussion on Eritrea, organized by Amnesty International, in Basel, Switzerland. The speech was aimed at two recent pronouncements by the Swiss government that suggest that positive political change is taking place in Eritrea. According to Mekonnen, this completely ignores the reality in the country.
European Parliamentarians refuse to condone visit Eritrean Minister
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.
Home Office imposes strict eligibility rules for relocation minors
Two days ago the UK government has taken a clear step back from its commitment to take in half of the 2.000 children that were staying in Calais at the time of its demolition. In the debate on the topic of the “Calais Children and Immigration Act” on 16 November, UK’s minister of Immigration Robert Goodwill announced new eligibility criteria for refugee children that are supposed to be transferred from France to Britain with the demolition of the shanty towns. The new criteria limit admission to unaccompanied minors that are aged 12 or under; at high risk of sexual exploitation; aged 15 or under and of Sudanese or Syrian nationality.