Eritrea: Coronavirus

(asked on 8th June 2020) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Eritrean counterpart on releasing prisoners of conscience in that country in response to the risk of the spread of covid-19 in overcrowded prisons.


Answered by
James Duddridge Portrait
James Duddridge
This question was answered on 16th June 2020

Eritrea seems so far to have had a relatively low incidence of Covid-19, with only 41 reported cases and no reported deaths. In April our Ambassador in Asmara raised the prospect of releasing prisoners given their increasing risk of infection from Covid-19 with the President's chief political adviser, Yemane Gebreab.

The UK Government, along with partners in the international community, have taken every opportunity to voice our concern about arbitrary arrests and detentions in Eritrea, and have called for the release of those arrested and detained in this way. We have done so directly with the Government of Eritrea and publicly - through our annual reporting on human rights and at the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva. On 26 February, the UK's International Ambassador for Human Rights, Rita French, delivered a statement during the 43rd Session of the HRC expressing concern at continuing human rights abuses. Although welcoming Eritrean acceptance of Universal Periodic Review recommendations and offering UK assistance in support of their implementation, she said that the UK would continue to press for the release of arbitrarily detained individuals.

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