Eritrea: UK Eritreans Urged to Work together with the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea.

(London 12/01/2015) A consortium of UK based, Eritrean human rights organisations urge Eritreans in the UK to cooperate with the UN Commission of Inquiry into Human Rights in Eritrea (COI). The COI was set up by the Human Rights Council in June 2014 to last for a period on one year and will look into all human rights violations that are reported to have taken place in Eritrea since its independence.

This is a golden opportunity for Eritreans to build a body of evidence of the violations taking place in Eritrea, enabling the COI to make recommendations based on that evidence. There is now a chance to document all the disappearances of political prisoners, journalists, religious leaders and believers as well as all those abused in the national service.  A spokesperson for the Consortium stated  ‘At long last there is a credible body with a mandate to take all of the human rights violations in Eritrea to the highest possible authority and so we urge our people to use this opportunity and build the momentum for justice in Eritrea.’

The COI will be receiving submissions from individuals, groups or organisations who wish to submit written information until 31 January 2015.  In addition the Commissioners will be visiting the UK to collect evidence from anyone holding information about alleged violations of human rights from 24 January 2015.  Witnesses will be guaranteed confidentiality and the commission will also endeavour to make access easier by providing interpreters, covering travel expenses and by using skype and telephone communication where necessary.

Those who wish to know more and contact the COI directly can check their website (http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/CoIEritrea/Pages/Mandate.aspx) for more information.

A Consortium of human rights organisations is holding a workshop for Eritreans resident in Birmingham and London, to raise awareness of the Commission and its remit, on:

• Saturday 17^th January 2015 from 15:00 to 18:00 at 160 Grange Road, Birmingham B10 9QY.
• Sunday 18^th of January 2015 from 13:30 to 17:30 at Resources for London, Holloway Road, London N7 6PA.

Release Eritrea

Suwera Human Rights Centre

Eritreans for Human and Democratic Rights –UK (EHDR-UK)

Citizens for Democratic Rights in Eritrea (CDRiE)

For more details please contact: Mr Yaseen Mohamad Abdalla on +447740 325 366 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.