CPJ urges UN Eritrea human rights scrutiny

The Committee to Protect Journalists and 29 other civil society organizations have sent a letter to members of the United Nations Human Rights Council urging them to continue to scrutinize the human rights situation in Eritrea.

The letter was sent ahead of the 41st session of the HRC which will take place in Geneva from June 24 to July 12.

It highlights that a free and independent press continues to be absent in the country, and that 16 journalists remain in detention without trial, many since 2001, according to CPJ data.

Moreover, Eritrean authorities have yet to produce evidence that many of those arbitrarily jailed are still alive, it added.

It also states that the human rights situation in Eritrea remains dire, notwithstanding recent promising developments such as the rapprochement between Eritrea and Ethiopia, and the signing of a tripartite agreement between Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia.