Eritrea: EU Presidency Declaration on political prisoners

On 18 September 2001 a group of eleven prominent members of parliament and of the people's front for democracy and justice, the only political party in Eritrea, was arrested. A few days later, 10 independent journalists were also arrested. Since then, other individuals have been arrested and detained incommunicado, with no charges and with their right to a due process suspended.

Despite repeated appeals by the international community, including the EU, and several governmental and non-governmental human rights bodies, these prisoners remain in detention, without having been charged with any offence, and without access to a free and fair trial. None has been brought before a magistrate, although Eritrean laws require this to be done within 48 hours.

This treatment as well as the lack of information about their place of detention, detention conditions and health status are also not consistent with the obligations foreseen in several international treaties ratified by the government of Eritrea, such as the UN convenant on civil and political rights and other internationals declarations, such as the resolution no. 45/111 about basic principles for the treatment of prisoners, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 14th December 1990.

The European Union remains deeply concerned that the government of the state of Eritrea continues to severely violate basic human rights in violation of its obligations under domestic and international law. The European Union profoundly deplores the continuing lack of progress on this matter and urges the government of the state of Eritrea to disclose evidence of the place of detention, detention conditions and health status of the prisoners. Furthermore, the European Union urges the government of the state of Eritrea to allow the families, legal representatives and medical doctors of their choice to have access to the prisoners. The European Union also urges the government of the state of Eritrea to unconditionally release all the political prisoners.

The Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia align themselves with this declaration.


* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

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• Eritrea: EU Presidency Declaration on political prisoners (18/9/2007)