ERITREA COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service 15 APRIL 2011 ERITREA 15 APRIL 2011 Contents Preface Latest News EVENTS IN ERITREA FROM 14 FEBRUARY 2011 TO 15 APRIL 2011 Useful news sources for further information REPORTS ON ERITREA PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED BETWEEN 14 FEBRUARY 2011 AND 15 APRIL 2011 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 May 2010)......................... 3.08 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS (JUNE 2010 - FEBRUARY 2011) ............................................ 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.................................................................................................................. 8.06 Extra-judicial killings............................................................................................. 8.12 Avenues of complaint ............................................................................................ 8.15 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............................................ 9.28 Round-ups (Giffas)................................................................................................. 9.32 Authorised leave..................................................................................................... 9.37 Conscientious objection........................................................................................ 9.38 Students and conscription .................................................................................... 9.39 Exemptions ............................................................................................................. 9.42 Exemption of women............................................................................................ 9.43 Exemption on medical grounds............................................................................ 9.45 Exemption of religious clerics .............................................................................. 9.48 ii The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 14 February 2011. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 15 April 2011. 15 APRIL 2011 ERITREA 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 ......................................................... 12.05 13. DEATH PENALTY ......................................................................................................... 13.01 14. POLITICAL AFFILIATION ............................................................................................... 14.01 Freedom of political expression ........................................................................... 14.01 Freedom of association and assembly ................................................................ 14.02 Opposition groups and political activists............................................................ 14.03 15. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA ................................................................................ 15.01 Restrictions on the media ..................................................................................... 15.03 Internet..................................................................................................................... 15.05 Journalists .............................................................................................................. 15.06 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 ............................................................ 18.05 Jehovah’s Witnesses ............................................................................................. 18.12 Muslims ................................................................................................................... 18.14 19. ETHNIC GROUPS ......................................................................................................... 19.01 Languages............................................................................................................... 19.03 Government and societal attitudes ...................................................................... 19.05 20. LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PERSONS ............................................... 20.01 21. DISABILITY ................................................................................................................. 21.01 22. WOMEN...................................................................................................................... 22.01 Legal rights ............................................................................................................. 22.01 Political rights......................................................................................................... 22.02 Social and economic rights................................................................................... 22.04 Violence against women........................................................................................ 22.14 Protection ........................................................................................................... 22.19 Reproductive health and rights ............................................................................ 22.23 23. CHILDREN .................................................................................................................