From Open Air Prisoners to Refugees: Curtailment of the Right to Leave and its Ramifications in Eritrea
First Human Rights Symposium of the Eritrean Global Solidarity (EGS), June 2009
23 Pages Posted: 21 Feb 2010
Date Written: June 20, 2009
Abstract
Within the context of massive and serious human rights violations prevalent in Eritrea, the right to leave one’s own country of many Eritreans between 10 to 50 years old is severely curtailed; thus giving rise to the apt designation of Eritrea as ‘open air prison’. Fraught by the overall repression of human rights, in spite of the draconian restrictions on the right to leave, thousands of Eritrean youths are, however, fleeing Eritrea every year in a manner the Government of Eritrea (GoE) calls ‘illegal’. As the fleeing youths are undeniable testimony of the repressive nature of the GoE, the latter has resorted to deadly measures of blocking the boarders of the country and severely punishing apprehended attempters and deportees. The fact that the GoE ill treats apprehended attempters and deportees with no reference to due process of law has given rise to acceptable cause for asylum when the latter successfully flee Eritrea. Thus, ironically the curtailment of the right to leave Eritrea has resulted to new refugee population from Eritrea. This article analyzes the twin rights to leave and return to one’s own country as provided in three human rights treaties binding upon Eritrea; finds sever violation of these rights in Eritrea and calls the GoE to respect the twin rights of its youths. Nevertheless, without drastically improving the democratic deficiencies in the country’s manners of governance the GoE cannot stop the exodus of Eritrean youths which would be aggravated when the GoE attempts to respect the twin rights alone. Therefore, a call for respect of these rights is a suggestion for remedying the main cause of the exodus – the human rights crisis and democratic deficiencies in Eritrea.
Keywords: Eritrea, Right, Leave, Return, Visa, Exit, Human, Rights, ICCPR
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