Summary

The present report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 53/2, in which the Council extended the mandate of Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea for one year and requested the mandate holder to present a report to the Council at its fifty-sixth session.

In the report, the Special Rapporteur provides an overview of the human rights situation in Eritrea, with a focus on the persistent violations in the context of the indefinite and compulsory national service, the repression of freedom of religion or belief, the state of the rule of law and the administration of justice, and violations of civil and political rights, including prolonged and arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances. The Special Rapporteur highlights the lack of civic space in Eritrea and evolving patterns of transnational repression. He expresses concern over the continued presence and involvement of Eritrean forces in the commission of human rights violations in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. The Special Rapporteur stresses the serious challenges faced in the protection of Eritrean refugees and asylum-seekers. Throughout the report, he assesses the level of implementation by Eritrea of the recommendations of human rights mechanisms, noting that they remain largely unimplemented. The report concludes with recommendations to the Government of Eritrea and the international community.