ERITREA COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service 17 August 2011 ERITREA 17 AUGUST 2011 Contents Preface Latest News EVENTS IN ERITREA FROM 15 JULY 2011 TO 17 AUGUST 2011 Useful news sources for further information Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................ 1.01 Map ........................................................................................................................ 1.04 2. ECONOMY ................................................................................................................ 2.01 3. HISTORY ................................................................................................................. 3.01 From British rule to national independence (1949 to 1993) .............................. 3.01 Domestic political developments (1991 to 1997) ............................................... 3.04 International and domestic developments (1998 to March 2011) ..................... 3.08 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS (APRIL 2011 - AUGUST 2011) ............................................. 4.01 Protests in Ethiopia ............................................................................................. 4.01 International relations .......................................................................................... 4.03 Narbo volcanic eruption ...................................................................................... 4.06 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 ................................................................................................................ 8.06 Extra-judicial killings ........................................................................................... 8.10 Avenues of complaint .......................................................................................... 8.13 9. NATIONAL SERVICE ................................................................................................... 9.01 General background ............................................................................................. 9.01 National Service Proclamation 82/1995 .............................................................. 9.04 National service in practice ................................................................................. 9.16 Payment for national service ............................................................................... 9.23 Penalties for evading national service ............................................................... 9.26 Legal penalties ................................................................................................... 9.26 Punishment of relatives of national service evaders........................................... 9.29 Round-ups (Giffas) ............................................................................................... 9.33 Authorised leave................................................................................................... 9.38 Conscientious objection ...................................................................................... 9.39 Students and conscription .................................................................................. 9.41 Exemptions ........................................................................................................... 9.44 Exemption of women .......................................................................................... 9.45 Exemption on medical grounds .......................................................................... 9.46 ii The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 14 July 2011. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 17 August 2011. 17 AUGUST 2011 ERITREA Exemption of religious clerics ............................................................................. 9.49 Detention of national service conscripts ........................................................... 9.51 Demobilisation ...................................................................................................... 9.53 10. JUDICIARY ................................................................................................................ 10.01 Organisation ......................................................................................................... 10.01 Independence ....................................................................................................... 10.04 Fair trial ................................................................................................................. 10.05 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 ............................................................... 14.03 Opposition groups and political activists .......................................................... 14.04 15. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA ............................................................................... 15.01 Overview ............................................................................................................... 15.01 Media organisations ............................................................................................. 15.05 Internet .................................................................................................................. 15.06 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 ........................................................................................... 18.14 Muslims ................................................................................................................. 18.16 19. ETHNIC GROUPS ....................................................................................................... 19.01 Languages ............................................................................................................ 19.03 Government and societal attitudes ..................................................................... 19.06 20. LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PERSONS .............................................. 20.01 21. WOMEN ................................................................................................................... 21.01 Legal rights ........................................................................................................... 21.01 Political rights ....................................................................................................... 21.02 Social and economic rights ................................................................................. 21.04 Violence against women ...................................................................................... 21.14 National service .................................................................................................. 21.17 Protection ..........................................................................................................