Eritrea's President Imposes "Reign of Fear" through Systematic Abuses, UN Panel Finds

Strategic Insights -

A panel of United Nations investigators has accused Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki of governing the country through a "reign of fear" marked by systematic human rights abuses, including torture, extrajudicial executions, and forced labor. The harsh actions of the government have prompted hundreds of thousands of Eritreans to flee the country, driving a major part of the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean. "We seldom see human rights violations of the scope and scale as we see in Eritrea today," said Sheila B. Keetharuth, a member of the UN commission of inquiry. The panel's report, based on 550 interviews with Eritrean witnesses and 160 written submissions, found that the government's actions were the result of a "tragic product" of an initial desire to protect the young state, which quickly degenerated into totalitarian practices.

Key Takeaways:

  • President Isaias Afwerki has governed Eritrea through a "reign of fear" since its independence in 1993, characterized by systematic human rights abuses, including torture, extrajudicial executions, and forced labor.
  • The harsh actions of the government have prompted hundreds of thousands of Eritreans to flee the country, driving a major part of the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean.
  • The Eritrean government's harsh measures to prevent people from leaving the country include a shoot-to-kill policy in border areas and draconian measures to stop people from leaving the country.
  • The International Organization for Migration has reported that Eritreans accounted for nearly a quarter of the migrants reaching Europe after perilous crossings from Libya last year.
  • The UN High Commissioner for Refugees reported that 36,390 migrants have reached Greece, Italy, and Malta via the Mediterranean Sea with at least 1,776 dead or missing, with the largest group being Syrians.
  • The International Organization for Migration has warned that the number of migrant deaths on the Mediterranean this year could surpass 30,000.
  • The Eritrean government maintains an "Orwellian system" of mass surveillance, arbitrary detention, and a brutal system of conscription that amounts to indefinite slavery.
  • The panel members found that many potential witnesses declined to testify out of fear, and the government systematically silences anyone who dares to protest or express criticism.

Statistics:

  • 550 interviews with Eritrean witnesses and 160 written submissions were conducted by the panel.
  • 36,390 migrants have reached Greece, Italy, and Malta via the Mediterranean Sea, with at least 1,776 dead or missing.
  • Eritreans accounted for nearly a quarter of the migrants reaching Europe after perilous crossings from Libya last year.
  • The number of migrant deaths on the Mediterranean this year could surpass 30,000.

Sources:

  • United Nations Human Rights Council
  • International Organization for Migration
  • United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
  • The New York Times