ELS – Page 3

Awareness Raising Campaign in Geneva

As part of its on-going activities on the promotion of refugee rights, ELS collaborated in a weekend awareness raising campaign that was organised by UNHCR’s Telling the Real Story (TRS) project. The campaign took place in Geneva (Novetel Geneva Centre) on Saturday, 28 October 2017. UNHCR’s TRS project focuses on telling the real stories of Eritrean and Somali refugees, who have made the perilous journey to Europe, through the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea, by way of creating a platform to share their experience with a community of fellow survivors. The aim is that of sending the most accurate information to people who are planning to embark on the most dangerous route to Europe. The information is disseminated, among other things, via audio-visual testimonies of people who have made the perilous journey to Europe. Information gathered in this way is also used in raising broader awareness within Eritrean and […]

October 30, 2017
409
News

ELS Joins a Coalition of European CSOs in Lobbying Members of the Italian Parliament

In the morning hours of 27 October 2017, ELS, joined hands with a coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) in lobbying some members of the Italian Parliament in Rome – in pursuit of a more favourable protection to Eritrean asylum seekers and refugees in Europe. The activity is part of the on-going effort of ELS and its partners in promoting a viable solution not only for the plight of Eritrean refugees in Europe and elsewhere but also in finding a lasting solution to the deeply seated crisis of human rights in Eritrea. It also aimed at building a board-based support of liked-minded CSOs in Europe. In today’s event at the Italian Parliament, ELS was invited to a panel discussion, which focused mainly on the plight of Eritrean and Yazidi refugees in Europe. In the event, the Director of ELS gave a speech in which he emphasised the importance of strict […]

October 27, 2017
412
News

ELS Participates in a Major Consultation of Eritrean Diaspora Actors

From 20 to 22 October 2017, ELS participated in a major consultation of Eritrean diaspora actors, mainly that of civil society organisations (CSOs) and political formations, working for an end to the pervasive culture of impunity in Eritrea and in lieu of that for the establishment a politico-legal system anchored on respect for the rule of law. The consultation, that took place in Frankfurt, Germany, was organised by the Forum for National Dialogue (FND), and was attended by eight representatives from CSOs and eleven from political organisations. ELS was represented in the consultation by its Treasurer, Mr. Wesenseghed Hagos. Launched in the form of a “Conference on Transformative Collaboration,” the consultation aimed at, among other things, overcoming the perennial cycle of fragmentation within exiled Eritrean political groups and CSOs, with the objective of harnessing their collective effort of ending the prevailing dictatorial order in Eritrea. It also sought to promote […]

October 24, 2017
423
News

The Brussels Conference on Eritrean Refugees Concluded Successfully

A major conference focusing on the plight of Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers in Europe concluded successfully in the afternoon hours of 20 October 2017 in Brussels. Organised under the theme of ‘Eritrea and the On-going Refugee Crisis in Europe,’ the first day of the conference featured, among others, Ms. Sheila B. Keetharuth, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea, as keynote speaker. Speeches and presentations were also made by three Eritrean refugees who shared their personal experience and several other experts. The first day of the conference was attended by over 100 participants representing more than 30 civil society organisations (CSOs), including some officials from the EU. Two of the panel discussions in the first day were moderated and opened by two members of the European Parliament, Ms. Ana Gomes and Ms. Marie-Christine Vergiat. The conference opened by a welcome address presented by Mr. […]

October 21, 2017
374
News

ELS Collaborated in a Major Publication

Through the co-editorship of its Executive Director (Dr. Daniel R. Mekonnen), ELS collaborated in the publication of a major edited volume by PEN Eritrea and two other partners: PEN Austria and the Swiss-German PEN Centre. The edited volume, entitled “Uncensored Voices: Essays, Poems, Art Works by Exiled Eritreans,” contains a total of fourteen contributions by established and emerging writers, poets and artists. The edited volume was launched at an official event hosted by PEN Austria in Vienna on 11 October 2017, at which Dr. Mekonnen gave a briefing about the contents of the book, representing PEN Eritrea and the two co-editors of the volume: Tedros Araham and Abraham T. Zere. The event included a panel discussion, joined by representatives of the Network of Eritrean Women (NEW) and recital of poetry by Dr. Mekonnen. In the introduction of the book, the co-editors highlight some of the main objectives of the publication […]

October 18, 2017
379
News

ELS Attended a Workshop on the Principle of Universal Jurisdiction

Eritrean Law Society (ELS) participated in a major workshop organized by REDRESS and DefendDefenders – that took place in London from 2 to 4 October 2017. ELS was represented in the event by Mr. Amanuel Y. Abraha. The workshop aimed at enhancing the capacity and knowledge base of Eritrean civil society actors on the applicability of the Principe of Universal Jurisdiction (UJ) to the situation of human rights in Eritrea. ELS’s participation in the workshop is premised on the Society’s long time commitment towards UJ as one major option for addressing the human rights crisis in Eritrea. With the appointment and establishment of the UN Special Rapporteur and the Commission of Inquiry (COI) on human rights violations in Eritrea, the issue became relevant more than ever. This was the case articularly with the publication of the second report of the COI in June 2016 in which the COI made explicit […]

October 11, 2017
360
News

The Plight of Eritrean Refugees in Europe: Focus of a Major Conference in Brussels

A major conference, taking place in Brussels on 19 October 2017, will focus mainly on the plight of Eritrean refugees Europe. Organized under the theme of ‘Eritrea and the On-going Refugee Crisis in Europe,’ the conference will address the changing approach on the part of European immigration authorities towards Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers. The conference will spotlight the worsening human rights crisis in Eritrea as sufficiently documented by the UN commission of inquiry and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights is Eritrea. Ms. Sheila B. Keetharuth, the UN Special Rapporteur, will appear in the conference as a keynote speaker. Refugees, civil society actors and experts are also expected to discus various issues ranging from the general situation of human rights in Eritrea, to indefinite military conscription, forced labour, and gender-based violence. The conference will conclude by identifying better mechanisms for the protection of Eritrean asylum seekers […]

September 30, 2017
382
News

ELS at the Swiss Parliament

Following the report of 30 August 2017 by the Swiss National TV (SRF), on Swiss-Eritrea links in gold trade, the issue is receiving gradual attention by some local actors and politicians, in particular members of the Swiss Parliament, who are sympathetic with the on-going struggle of ending the pervasive culture of impunity in Eritrea. With the aim of garnering the required level of support on this particular issue, the Eritrean Law Society (ELS) conducted a one-day work visit to the Swiss Parliament in Bern on 19 September 2017, at which time a number of consultations have taken place with different members of the Swiss Parliament. As noted in the ELS report of 1 September 2017, the underlying assumption is that companies based or operating in Switzerland have a moral (if not a legal) obligation to adhere to responsible business practices, including ensuring compliance with international best practices on corporate social […]

September 20, 2017
345
News

Swiss-Eritrea Links in Gold Mining

On 30 August 2017, the Swiss national TV aired a major report focusing on a huge amount of raw gold extracted from Eritrea, under extremely abusive practices of forced labour and slavery, ending up in Switzerland for the final process of refinery. It exposed one of the most disgraceful instances of corporate malpractice in history: https://goo.gl/khrrgk According to the report, between 2011 and 2013, Switzerland has refined 22 tons gold, estimated at a price of nearly 400 million Swiss Francs. A Swiss politician by the name Cédric Wermuth hints that this deal might have generated to the Swiss gold market a gross revenue of Swiss Francs 924 million, which is roughly the equivalent of US Dollars 1 billion: https://goo.gl/5wqLJU The TV report indicates that the only Swiss company known to have been refining gold originating from Eritrea is the Neuchâtel-based Metalor. All other major refineries of gold in Switzerland said […]

September 1, 2017
551
News

Open Letter in Support of Father Mussie Zerai

ELS has joined a coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs), which has taken a common stand in the plight of an Eritrean Catholic Priest, Father Mussie Zerai, who is globally recognised for his unreserved dedication to humanitarianism and the support of helpless refugees. Passionately known as “Abba Mussie” by his supporters, Father Zerai is a nominee of the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize for his dedication to humanitarianism. He is currently under investigation by Italian prosecution authorities, for alleged involvement in the crimes of human smuggling and/or trafficking. In their open letter, the CSOs have demonstrated unflinching support to, and solidarity with, the plight of Father Zerai, by reminding Italian and European law enforcement agencies to invest their time and resources in productive endeavours, including saving the lives of thousands of refugees, who are perishing at the southern maritime borders of Europe. The coalition of COSs also emphasised that the on-going […]

August 25, 2017
372
News

Awareness Raising Campaign in Geneva

ELS Joins a Coalition of European CSOs in Lobbying Members of the Italian Parliament

ELS Participates in a Major Consultation of Eritrean Diaspora Actors

The Brussels Conference on Eritrean Refugees Concluded Successfully

ELS Collaborated in a Major Publication

ELS Attended a Workshop on the Principle of Universal Jurisdiction

The Plight of Eritrean Refugees in Europe: Focus of a Major Conference in Brussels

ELS at the Swiss Parliament

Swiss-Eritrea Links in Gold Mining

Open Letter in Support of Father Mussie Zerai

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