Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 13 July (HL957), what assessment they have made of what would be an acceptable programme of concrete action by the government of Eritrea to strengthen the rule of law and to improve the human rights situation in that country.

Eritrea has made some limited progress against its international commitments on human rights in 2015. This included the publication in May of new Civil, Penal, Civil Procedure and Criminal Procedure Codes. The Government of Eritrea also hosted a visit by representatives of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to consider potential project work in the field of human rights in Eritrea. Government officials regularly meet with the Eritrean ministers and officials in London and Asmara to press the Government of Eritrea to address shortcomings on civil and political rights. Following the Universal Period Review (UPR) in 2014 Eritrea accepted 92 of the recommendations and has ratified the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. We continue to push for implementation of the remaining UPR recommendations.