Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to press the United Nations Security Council to refer Eritrea to the International Criminal Court, in the light of the report by the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea.

The UN Commission of Inquiry Report on Human Rights in Eritrea does not recommend referral of Eritrea to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Report recommends that the international community continues to engage closely on the human rights situation in Eritrea, including on countering irregular migration, human smuggling and trafficking. The UK is already fully engaged on this through the African Union-EU ‘Khartoum Process’. The UK will also continue to press Eritrea to improve its human rights record through a range of channels including via the UN Human Rights Council and Special Rapporteur, EU Article 8 Dialogue, and through regular bilateral diplomacy.