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.
This week, a Dutch report with the title that translates to ‘nothing is what it seems’ came out. The report presents detailed research into the Eritrean community and organisations in the Netherlands and the influence of the long arm of the Eritrean regime on it. Additionally, it covers the subject of problems of integration and participation. Following the report, the Dutch government responded with a letter, which details measures to weaken the influence of the regime and to stop the involuntary payment of 2% diaspora tax.
Earlier this week, it was reported that three Eritrean nationals are being held at the Mesnil-Amelot detention center in France, with a risk of being expelled from French territory. All three arrived in April 2016 and lived in the jungle of Calais. It is feared that the French government may be considering to deport the trio to Eritrea, …