Rights watchdog urges Egypt to halt deportation of Eritrean refugees
January 8, 2009 (NEW YORK) – Human Rights Watch today urged the Egyptian authorities to allow the UN agency for refugees to reach them and to halt forced deportation to Eritrea where they facing repression.
During the past two weeks Egypt forcibly returned home more than 45 Eritrean without allowing the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to interview them as it is required by the international humanitarian law.
The oft repeated deportation of the Eritreans refugees comes after attempts to cross the border with Israel. Last December the authorities arrested 98 Eritrean in Nakhil detention center in North Sinai where they were subjected to bad treatment by the prison guards.
“Eritreans are fleeing a repressive government with a terrible human rights record and need protection, not further abuse,” said Joe Stork, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa division.
He further urged Egypt to give the UNHCR immediate access to “identify Eritrean migrants with refugee claims.”
The rights watchdog underlined that both Egypt and Israel have the obligation under international human rights and refugee law to not return them home because they are facing risk of torture or persecution in Eritrea
Eritreans flee home, mostly through Ethiopia and Sudan, to escape the indefinite national military service or the arbitrary detention and torture for the opponents. People who are arrested fleeing the country face imprisonment and heavy fines. The same happen to those who are forcibly returned.
In June 2008, some 1200 Eritrean had been deported to their country by the Egyptian authorities. “As of December, at least 740 of those returnees were still imprisoned in a military detention facility in Eritrea” the rights organization said.
However, following this deportation Egypt, under international pressure, allowed the UNHCR to interview 171 detained Eritreans, the only occasion since February 2008 when UNHCR has been given access to Eritrean asylum seekers.
“Most of the 171 Eritreans interviewed by UNHCR have been granted refugee status.”
(ST)