Thank you Mr President,

We thank the Special Rapporteur for his update and share his deep concern about the human rights situation in Eritrea.

And we express our disappointment. Despite Eritrea’s membership on this Council, it has not improved its own Human Rights record, nor made any progress in engaging with the Special Rapporteur.

We reiterate the urgent need for Eritrea to reform its national service. Eritrea should take steps to regularise the duration of national service and increase the exemptions to it. This would enable young people to determine their own career path, as well as restoring their trust in the government.

We also call upon Eritrea to address concerns surrounding transnational oppression. Reports of refugees being harassed and facing intimidation, including in the UK, are completely unacceptable. We will not hesitate to prosecute any perpetrators.

Finally, we call for all those arbitrarily detained in Eritrea to be released, and for concrete steps to protect freedom of expression to be urgently taken. A free and open society is the bedrock of stability and prosperity.

Special Rapporteur, what is your assessment of the state of civic space in Eritrea and what are your recommendations to address this?