News Highlights: Eritrea named ‘most censored country’, Norway reconsiders Eritrean asylum requests, agreement with Rwanda on Libya evacuations

In this week’s news highlights: Bishops criticize the seizure of Eritrean schools; Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Eritrean President Afwerki meet; Eritrea tops list of most censored countries in report; Humanitarian aid suspended in Gambela, Ethiopia after two aid workers died; New Eritrean representative gives credentials to the UN; Ugandan refugee camp’s alternative approach; Announcement of Refugee Summit in Addis Ababa; Turkey pressures the EU for more money; Undocumented refugees and migrants do not access social services; Norwegian government reviews asylum status Eritrean refugees celebrating with Eritrean regime; Teams of rescue ships in political dilemma; MOU on evacuating refugees from Libya to Rwanda; Interior Minister of Libya meets with INTERPOL; and thousands of people die on African migration routes.

News Highlights: Eritrea takes over Christian and Muslim secondary schools, Sudan forms Cabinet, Controversial Greek emergency plan announced

In this week’s news highlights: Eritrea shuts down schools run by religious institutions; Criticism on Eritrea peace deal excluding the people; Dutch vessel docked in Eritrean port Assab involved in Yemen war; Sudan forms new Cabinet; Podcasts to fight domestic violence in refugee camps; Rescue ships make port in Italy in spite of the ban; Greek government announces controversial emergency plan for migrants and refugees; Eritrean government celebrates 25 years of national service training in Norway; Trauma of refugees in Europe illustrated; Former Prime Minister of Australia praises anti-migration policies in Hungary; Rwanda offers space for 500 evacuees from Libyan detention centres; and UN Tweet about refugees exposes private details of a minor.

Petition and letter to free five Eritrean refugees detained in Egypt after peaceful protest

Letters by Human Rights Concern Eritrea and Eritrean Movement for Democracy and Human Rights ask for the immediate release of five detained Eritreans in Cairo, Egypt. The five were arrested on July 21, 2019, and are held in an undisclosed location without access to legal representation. The detained are part of a group of around 500 Eritreans who demonstrated peacefully against alleged mismanagement and corruption by Cairo’s UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) office. Their trial is set today (7 August 2019).