Geneva - Forum of Horn Vision "HAPC"

Date:May23, 2026

Thirty international and Eritrean human rights organizations have called on the UN Human Rights Council to immediately renew the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea.

In a joint letter addressed to member states, the organizations stressed the importance of advancing international accountability efforts to curb ongoing violations in the country, which are taking place amid a state of complete impunity.

The letter urged the UN Council to adopt a formal resolution that would ensure the continued work of the Special Rapporteur .

She called for him to be given additional tasks, including strengthening the documentation of abuses that have occurred, and providing clear paths and options for holding those responsible accountable, based on the indicators and findings reached by the UN Commission of Inquiry since 2016.

Hot Topics: Ongoing Crimes and Cross-Border Repression:

The organizations reiterated the egregious violations previously documented by the UN Commission and classified as acts that may amount to ” crimes against humanity” , including:

Arbitrary arrest, torture, continued slavery practices, enforced disappearance, persecution, rape, and murder, all without any legal accountability.

Thousands remain imprisoned, with human rights estimates suggesting there are over 10,000 arbitrarily detained individuals in Eritrea, including politicians, journalists, religious figures, and students.

in addition to the G11 group, still Eleven government officials ( known as the G-11 group) have been held incommunicado since September 2001 , without trial or any information about their fate.

These violations also include forced conscription and external repression which the statement criticized the abuses associated with the compulsory national service system, and warned of the escalating policy of ” cross-border repression ” pursued by the Eritrean authorities to target dissidents in the diaspora, with the aim of silencing peaceful voices and restricting freedoms of expression and organization at home and abroad.

Regional Atrocities and Lack of International Cooperation:

 The human rights warnings were not limited to the internal situation; rather, they extended to include the behavior of Eritrean forces in the regional environment.

The letter indicated that those forces were involved in committing ” atrocities” that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity during the armed conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region.

In a related context, the organizations directed sharp criticism at the Eritrean government for its continued refusal to cooperate with international human rights mechanisms and its failure to implement the decisions issued by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

The Eritrean government is barring visits by UN rapporteurs and human rights missions to the country (Reuters).

Clear Demands and a Roadmap for Accountability:

In closing their letter, the organizations outlined a roadmap for the anticipated UN resolution, summarized in the following demands:

– Extension of mandate: Continuation of the Special Rapporteur’s mission and urging the Eritrean government to cooperate with him and allow him to visit the country.

– Decimal assessment: The Special Rapporteur is tasked with conducting a comprehensive assessment of developments in the human rights situation ten years after the Commission of Inquiry’s report.

– Justice mechanisms: Identifying the international tools and mechanisms available to activate legal accountability and provide redress for victims.

It is worth noting, that among the signatories of this statement are prominent human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders, the International Federation for Human Rights, as well as a range of Eritrean organizations active in exile.