Eritrea Country of origin information report COI service 18 September 2013 Eritrea 18 September 2013 Contents Preface Paragraphs Background Information 1. Geography ............................................................................................................ 1.01 Maps ...................................................................................................................... 1.04 2. Economy ............................................................................................................... 2.01 3. History .................................................................................................................. 3.01 Italian rule to national independence (1890 to 1997) ......................................... 3.01 War with Ethiopia (1998 to 2000) ......................................................................... 3.07 Domestic developments and opposition politics (2001 to 2011) ...................... 3.08 International relations (2002 to 2012) ................................................................. 3.12 4. Recent developments (August 2012 – August 2013) ......................................... 4.01 5. Constitution .......................................................................................................... 5.01 6. Political system .................................................................................................... 6.01 Human Rights 7. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 7.01 8. Security forces ..................................................................................................... 8.01 Police ..................................................................................................................... 8.01 Armed forces ........................................................................................................ 8.02 Human rights violations by government forces ................................................ 8.04 Arbitrary arrest and detention ............................................................................. 8.04 Torture ................................................................................................................ 8.08 Extra-judicial killings ........................................................................................... 8.13 Avenues of complaint .......................................................................................... 8.15 9. National service (including military service) ...................................................... 9.01 Background .......................................................................................................... 9.01 National Service Proclamation 82/1995 .............................................................. 9.07 National service in practice ................................................................................. 9.19 Payment for national service ............................................................................... 9.30 Penalties for evading national service ............................................................... 9.32 Legal penalties ................................................................................................... 9.32 Punishment of relatives of national service evaders .......................................... 9.35 Round-ups (‘Giffas’) ............................................................................................. 9.38 Authorised leave ................................................................................................... 9.43 Conscientious objection ...................................................................................... 9.44 Students and conscription .................................................................................. 9.47 Exemptions ........................................................................................................... 9.50 Exemption of women .......................................................................................... 9.51 Exemption on medical grounds .......................................................................... 9.56 Exemption of religious clerics ............................................................................. 9.59 Detention of national service conscripts ........................................................... 9.62 Demobilisation ...................................................................................................... 9.64 10. Judiciary ................................................................................................................ 10.01 Organisation ......................................................................................................... 10.01 Independence ....................................................................................................... 10.08 ii The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 16 August 2013. 18 September 2013 Eritrea Fair trial ................................................................................................................. 10.13 11. Arrest and detention - legal rights ...................................................................... 11.01 12. Prison and detention centre conditions ............................................................. 12.01 Location of prisons and detention centres ........................................................ 12.06 13. Death penalty ........................................................................................................ 13.01 14. Political affiliation ................................................................................................. 14.01 Freedom of political expression .......................................................................... 14.01 Freedom of association and assembly ............................................................... 14.04 Opposition groups and political activists .......................................................... 14.06 15. Freedom of speech and media ............................................................................ 15.01 Overview ............................................................................................................... 15.01 Media organisations ............................................................................................. 15.03 Internet .................................................................................................................. 15.04 Journalists ............................................................................................................ 15.07 16. Human rights institutions, organisations and activists .................................... 16.01 17. Corruption ............................................................................................................. 17.01 18. Freedom of religion .............................................................................................. 18.01 Overview ............................................................................................................... 18.01 Religious demography ......................................................................................... 18.02 Restrictions ........................................................................................................... 18.03 Christian pentecostals and evangelicals ........................................................... 18.06 Jehovah’s Witnesses ........................................................................................... 18.08 Muslims ................................................................................................................. 18.11 Orthodox Church of Eritrea ................................................................................. 18.12 19. Ethnic groups ....................................................................................................... 19.01 Languages ............................................................................................................ 19.03 Government and societal attitudes ..................................................................... 19.06 20. Sexual orientation and gender identity .............................................................. 20.01 21. Women .................................................................................................................. 21.01 Legal rights ........................................................................................................... 21.01 Political rights ....................................................................................................... 21.02 Social and economic rights ................................................................................. 21.04 Violence against women ...................................................................................... 21.10 National service .................................................................................................. 21.11 Protection ........................................................................................................... 21.13 Reproductive health and rights ........................................................................... 21.14 22. Children ................................................................................................................. 22.01 Overview ..............................................................................................................