Human trafficking, current migration routes, systematic torture and ill treatment on route
Yesterday, on the 7 November 2016, the Open Society Foundation held a meeting on the topic “Migration and asylum: 1.000 testimonies of torture en route”. The Foundation presented new findings concerning trafficking routes and gave a thorough insight on the traumatising experiences of migrants subjected to torture during their journey.
Human rights abuses in Eritrea glossed over in development-centered meeting
On Monday, 29 November 2016, the Irish European Parliament member Brian Hayes hosted a conference on Eritrea in the European Parliament. Despite the fact that the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea (COIE) found in its latest report the perpetrating of crimes against humanity by Eritrean officials, the country’s Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel was invited as keynote speaker of the meeting. Gebremeskel was present despite protests from human rights advocates and more than 800 Eritreans and supporters who petitioned against the meeting taking place.
Daniel Mekonnen: deconstructing the myth of a “promising” political change in Eritrea
On 24 November 2016, Eritrean lawyer Daniel Mekonnen gave a speech at a panel discussion on Eritrea, organized by Amnesty International, in Basel, Switzerland. The speech was aimed at two recent pronouncements by the Swiss government that suggest that positive political change is taking place in Eritrea. According to Mekonnen, this completely ignores the reality in the country.