CSW urges States to recognise Eritrean asylum claims

As the world marks World Refugee Day on 20 June, CSW urges EU States to recognise the validity of claims by Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers.

As the world marks World Refugee Day on 20 June, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) urges EU States to recognise the validity of claims by Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers and to ensure that the principle of non-refoulement is respected.

In an oral statement to the UN Human Rights Council on 16 June, CSW commended the proposal of the Special Rapporteur on Migrants and EU border management to establish a human rights-based migration framework. CSW also raised concerns about the lack of commitment of certain countries to provide asylum to Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers fleeing persecution.

The human rights record of Eritrea remains one of the most appalling in the world. According to a new report by the Commission of Inquiry on Eritrea, some of the systematic and extensive human rights violations may amount to crimes against humanity. The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Eritrea Sheila Keetharuth has said that Eritrean refugees “are fleeing a country ruled not by law, but by fear. They deserve international protection.”

In addition, the Committee on the Rights of the Child last week highlighted that Eritrean children from unrecognised religious denominations are harassed, persecuted and denied official identity. Tens of thousands of Eritreans continue to be detained without charge or trial in life threatening conditions in facilities where torture occurs regularly.

Despite a governmental shoot to kill border policy, the risk of being held hostage by Bedouin people traffickers, kidnapped from refugee camps in Sudan, or executed by Daesh (Islamic State) in Libya, at least 30,000 Eritreans left their country by boat and entered Italy during 2014. Eritrea has become the largest refugee-producing country in the world on a per capita basis.

CSW’s Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said, “On World Refugee Day, we remember the millions of people around the world who are displaced from their homes by conflict, violence and persecution, often risking their lives to reach safety either overland or in unseaworthy vessels. Violations of freedom of religion and belief are one of thekey reasons why people are forced to leave their country. We encourage states to strengthen their joint responses to the global refugee crisis and to establish human rights based migration responses where the dignity and safety of migrants remain at the forefront of the efforts. EU States especially have a responsibility to recognise the validity of claims by Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers and to ensure that refugees are not returned to any countries where their lives are endangered. Above all, we call for compassion towards refugees, cherishing the human dignity of each and every person.”