Human Rights Situation in Eritrea Dips to New Low - UN

A UN special rapporteur on human rights in Eritrea, Mohamed Abdelsalam Babiker, has issued a report critical of the deteriorating situation in the country, noting forced military conscription, arbitrary arrests, disappearances and torture among the violations recorded.

In a report submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, Babiker said Eritrea's involvement in the armed conflict in neighbouring Ethiopia shines a light on the impact of the Eritrean government's system of indefinite national military service. He described the human rights situation as "dire".

Eritrea was reelected to serve as a member of the UN Human Rights Council in October 2021. Babiker said the country's failure to promote and protect human rights puts the credibility and integrity of the council in jeopardy.

Tesfamicael Gerahtu, an ambassador in Eritrea's foreign ministry, said he would not respond to the allegations in the report, saying they were based on information from select and irresponsible sources. He added that there was no human rights crisis in Eritrea and that the harassment and sanctions imposed on his country had to stop.