The Right to Leave and It's Ramifications in Eritrea

Abstract

As part of the massive and serious human rights violations prevalent in Eritrea, the right to leave their country of many Eritreans between 10 to 50 years old is severely curtailed; giving rise to the apt designation of Eritrea as an “open air prison”. However, fraught by the overall repression of human rights, in spite of the draconian restrictions on the right to leave such as deadly measures of blocking the borders of the country and severely punishing apprehended attempters and deportees with no reference to due process of law, thousands of Eritrean youth are fleeing Eritrea every year in a manner the Government of Eritrea (GoE) calls “illegal”. This article analyzes the related rights to leave and to return to one’s own country as provided in three human rights treaties which bind Eritrea and in the 1997 Constitution of Eritrea. A depiction of glaring violations is made and consequences discussed.

Keywords: Eritrea, exit visa, emigration, refugees, asylum-seekers