Ethiopia: Rights experts denounce mass deportation of Eritreans

13-07-2023

Jacob Odeh

International Justice and Human Rights Researcher 

Global Human Rights Defence

UN-appointed independent human rights experts have expressed serious concerns regarding the treatment of Eritrean refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants in Ethiopia. The experts highlighted issues such as targeted arrests, prolonged arbitrary detention, and summary deportations, emphasizing that collective expulsions are prohibited under international law. They called for individual and objective risk assessments to be conducted before deportations, ensuring compliance with the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits the expulsion of individuals at risk of human rights violations. The experts also condemned the specific targeting of Eritreans, which amounts to discrimination. They urged Eritrean authorities to protect those forcibly deported, provide information on their fate and whereabouts, and enable access to legal representation and family members. The experts called for engagement between refugee protection organizations and Ethiopian authorities to support access to asylum procedures for those on the move.

Sources and further reading:

UN News. 'Eritrean refugees, asylum seekers, migrants in Ethiopia face 'grave concern': UN experts'. UN News, 13 July 2023 https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/07/1138662 [accessed 19 July 2023].