Eritrea’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) takes place as human rights abuses continue

Eritrea’s human rights record was examined by the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group for the third time on Monday, 28 January 2019. Although the Eritrean government has stated in its report its willingness to intervene and state that they have addressed the recommendations of the previous UPR, many Eritreans and NGOs that work on Eritrea have reported continued serious violations of human rights.

News Highlights: Amnesty: US should address human rights in Eritrea, Dublin Regulation challenged, Italian law to expel people from centres

In this week’s news highlights: A call to US Secretary of State to address human rights in Eritrea; UN condemns mass rapes in South Sudan; Proposals for Ethiopia’s new law on hate speech; US embassy reopens in Somalia; IFAD President urges to invest in the youth in Africa; Presidents of Egypt and Sudan to cooperate on security; Dead end in Libya leads refugees to Morocco; New Italian law expels migrants from reception centres; Tribunal ruling states that UK cannot send vulnerable migrants to Italy without assurance; Commissioner Avramopoulos suggests asylum procedure will voluntarily fall to EU Member States; and the need to put emphasis on agriculture in the Post-Cotonou agreement.

News Highlights: Eritrea to chair Khartoum Process, EU human rights sanctions supported by Member States, Ethiopian electoral reform

In this week’s news highlights: Concern over Eritrea chairing the Khartoum Process; The fragility of the Eritrean identity as result of separation; Eritreans fleeing to Sudan; Ethiopian PM wants electoral system improvements; U.S. military kills three Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia; Sudan appears willing to continue peace talks; Africa should work on itself, rather than how Europe sees it, Estefanos says; Dutch proposal for EU human rights sanctions regime gains support; FRA report shows European racism towards skin color strong; UK National Health System hostilities towards asylum seekers; and EU aims at resuming political efforts in Yemen.