Legal Analysis of Potential Threats to the Sovereign Independence and Territorial Integrity of the State of Eritrea
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ELS Publishing a Major Study
On the occasion of the 28th year of Eritrea’s Independence, the Eritrean Law Society (ELS) is publishing a major study that seeks to address critical issues of concern widely felt by Eritreans from all walks of life about potential threats posed to the sovereign independence and territorial integrity of Eritrea. These concerns have been on the rise particularly since Eritrea and Ethiopia officially declared an end to a state of war that persisted for twenty years and decided to move towards the restoration of bilateral relations. Initially, the rapprochement between the two countries was received with widespread admiration and a sense of optimism. However, as far as Eritrea’s national interest is concerned, there are critical issues of concern raised by a growing number of Eritreans, concerns that called for a weighed-up consideration and legal analysis, using the most appropriate provisions of international law and operational laws of Eritrea, including the […]
- May 22, 2019
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ELS at a Colloquium on Nuclear Disarmament
The Director of ELS, Dr. Daniel Mekonnen, gave a presentation in a colloquium on nuclear disarmament that was organised by the Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the Conference on Disarmament. The colloquium, which took place in Geneva on 15 April 2019, aimed at sharing views and experiences on what is deemed an optimal climate for renewed and real progress in nuclear disarmament. The presentation of Dr. Mekonnen focused on the role of regional collective security arrangements in nuclear disarmament, with particular focus on the African Union, including its newly introduced concept of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA). The presentation highlighted the need for transcending conventional academic thinking, by inviting alternative voices from less represented corners of the world, Africa being one such corner. Dr. Mekonnen’s observations were based on his most recent academic publication titled “African Perspectives on Denuclearization and the Use of Nuclear Energy for Peaceful […]
- April 15, 2019
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Side Event at the 40th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
In keeping with its commitment to the struggle of ending the pervasive culture of impunity in Eritrea, ELS joined hands with nine like-minded civil society organisations in hosting a side event, on the fringes of the 40th Session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva. The side event (panel discussion), which took place in the morning hours of 12 March 2018, focused on the theme of judicial devitalisation in Eritrea, which is a major feature of the crisis of human rights in the country. The problem manifests mainly in the form of non-availability of domestic legal remedies for grave human rights violations committed, including for alleged complicity of foreign companies in the perpetration of such violations. It is with this objective in mind that the panel discussion also included a reflection on two major judicial decisions from Canada, which deal with the very problem of judicial devitalisation in […]
- March 13, 2019
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Statement Delivered at the 40th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Statement Delivered at the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Eritrea (Ms. Daniela Kravetz) UN Human Rights Council 40th Session (Item 4) 25 February – 22 March 2019 Delivered by Dr. Daniel Mekonnen Mr. President, I make this statement on behalf of Europe External Programme with Africa and the Eritrean Law Society (ELS). We commend the relentless effort of this Council of the last seven years, and we wish the newly appointed Special Rapporteur the best of success in the fulfilment of her mandate. In July 2018, Eritrea resolved its long-standing political stalemate with Ethiopia, a situation persistently cited for many years by the Eritrean Government as an excuse to suppress fundamental rights and freedoms. The consequence of this has not only had an impact on the lives of people inside the country, but has driven many thousands into the hands […]
- March 13, 2019
- 519
- News
ELS at a Panel Discussion Dealing with the Problem of Child Soldiers
In the morning hours of 6 March 2019, the Director of ELS, Dr. Daniel Mekonnen, gave a speech at a side event (panel discussion), hosted on the fringes of the 40th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Palais des Nations. Co-organised by the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) and Child Soldiers International, the side event took place under the theme of “Child Soldiers: Seventeen Years after OPAC.” The speech of Dr. Mekonnen focused on the prolonged practice of juvenile military conscription in Eritrea. His speech was based on the following background notes. Eritrea and Its Prolonged Practice of Juvenile Military Conscription Eritrea has a pervasive problem of underage military conscription. The fact that the issue of child soldiers is often times discussed in the context of on-going armed hostilities, a problem non-existent in present day Eritrea, the issue may be subject to obscurity, requiring a short contextual […]
- March 7, 2019
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- News
ELS Took Part in Major Events in Frankfurt, Geneva and The Hague
In the course of 3 to 16 December 2018, ELS participated in major events that took place in Frankfurt, Geneva and The Hague. From 14 to 16 December 2018, ELS attended a symposium, facilitated by Eri-Platform, and conducted under the banner of “The Imperative for Common Action.” The symposium, which took place in Frankfurt (Germany), is one of several such initiatives by Eritrean diaspora grassroots movements striving for the establishment of a politico-legal system anchored on respect for the rule of law. ELS was represented at the event by Mr. Wesenseghed (Seghed) Hagos, who participated as a panellist in a session themed “Rule of Law and Human Rights in Eritrea.” Mr. Hagos highlighted that the mere presence of promulgated laws does not necessarily imply commitment of a government to respect for the rule of law. Such a commitment depends on effective institutional framework supported by democratic establishments that are genuinely […]
- December 19, 2018
- 267
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Panel Discussion at the Swiss Parliament
Through the agency of its Director, ELS participated in a panel discussion, hosted at the Swiss Parliament in the evening hours of 27 November 2018. Under the leadership of Swiss Member of Parliament, Mr. Cédric Wermuth, the panel discussion was organised by members of the Commission for Migration and Integration of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland. The panel discussion focused on the plight of Eritrean refugees in Switzerland, who are subject to “temporary admission,” as well as on latest political developments in Eritrea. At the event, the Director of ELS, Dr. Daniel Mekonnen, gave a speech titled “The New Peace Process between Eritrea and Ethiopia: What Does It Mean for the Situation of Human Rights in Eritrea?” In his speech, Dr. Mekonnen highlighted some positive aspects of the new peace process, spearheaded by the Prime Minister of Ethiopia (Abiy Ahmed), emphasising on its potential to usher a lasting stability […]
- November 29, 2018
- 245
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ELS Secures the Grant of Provisional Measures from the African Commission
ELS Secures the Grant of Provisional Measures from the African Commission Based on a request for an urgent appeal, filed on 12 October 2018, ELS has just secured the grant of Provisional Measures, delivered by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The Provisional Measures, set out below, are related to the plight of Mr. Berhane Abrehe Kidane, the former Minister of International Development and Finance of Eritrea. The urgent appeal was jointly filed by ELS and Mr. Solomon H. Weldekirstos (a nephew of Mr. Kidane). Mr. Kidane was unlawfully detained and subjected to incommunicado detention on 17 September 2018, few days after he published a two-volume book and released an audio-recorded message, critical of the President of Eritrea. His whereabouts remain unknown. He had not been brought before a competent court of law, nor has he been allowed to contact his family, a doctor, or a lawyer of […]
- November 2, 2018
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Statement Read at the 63rd Ordinary Session of the African Commission
Statement Read at the 63rd Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights Public Session (Item 3): Human Rights Situation in Africa, 27 October 2018 Madam Chairperson, Respected Commissioners, State Representatives and Fellow Members of Civil Society Organisations. I make this statement on behalf of Reporters Without Borders/Swedish Section. The focus is on the situation of human rights in Eritrea, and in particular the suppression of media freedom. We have just seen a promising development with a peace agreement between Eritrea and Ethiopia. It should bring hope. But fundamentally nothing has changed for the imprisoned journalists in Eritrea. They are still imprisoned without sentence, isolated from the world at undisclosed locations. Several of them have been in detention for more than 17 years. And for 17 years all free media have been banned in Eritrea. This is something which must end. Here we take note of another […]
- November 2, 2018
- 257
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