The Eritrean government’s efforts to systematically choke off any space for dissent have continued, online and offline, on the pretext of protecting national security. This is largely enabled through total control over all media, the arbitrary and incommunicado detention of journalists and opposition politicians, and severe intimidation against the population as a whole. The absence of an independent judiciary or legislature allows these violations to take place unchallenged, in an environment that makes independently monitoring the human rights situation from outside of the country challenging.
In this submission, ARTICLE 19 highlights concerns on the following issues related to freedom of expression:
- Cooperation with international and regional human rights mechanisms
- Legal framework for freedom of expression
- Press freedom
- Freedom of expression online
On all these issues, the Eritrean government has shown no progress on previously accepted UPR (Universal Periodic Review) recommendations. At this critical juncture, this submission offers specific and detailed recommendations to assist Eritreans in overcoming these challenges, and ensuring the effective redress of past violations.