News – Page 2

ELS and ECCHR Exploring Possible Areas of Collaboration

With the aim of promoting a long-term objective of ensuring accountability for gross human rights violations in Eritrea, ELS and the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) are exploring possible areas of collaboration in issues of common interest for both organisations. The negotiation started earlier this year (in May 2018), and it entered a new and promising phrase following a one-day consultation that took place in August 2018 at the headquarters of ECCHR in Berlin. The on-going negotiations are expected to lead to some strategic prosecutorial measures that can be taken by German or other European prosecutorial agencies, concerning the on-going situation of crimes against humanity in Eritrea, as sufficiently documented by the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea and other rights groups. The Berlin-based ECCHR works to ensure accountability for core international crimes, such as genocide, crime against humanity, war crimes and the crime […]

September 15, 2018
229
News

ELS Attended Regional Consultation on the ICC

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the first permanent international court established with the main objective of punishing core international crimes, namely: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression. As part of the twentieth anniversary of the Rome Statute, several activities are taking place in different parts of the world. On 4 and 5 July 2018, a regional consultation of stakeholders took place in Kampala, Uganda, under the theme of “Emerging Trends on Complementarity: Consultation with Stakeholders in Central and Eastern Africa” in which stakeholders from the following countries participated: Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Participants include members of the judiciary, prosecutors, officials of justice ministries and attorney’s general departments, civil societies and legal fraternities, intergovernmental […]

July 8, 2018
307
News

Statement Made at the UN Human Rights Council

The following is a full text of a statement made on 26 June 2018 at the 38th Session of the UN Human Rights Council on the occasion of the Interactive Dialogue at the Council of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Eritrea (Ms. Sheila B. Keetharuth). The statement, made on behalf of eight civil society organisations (including ELS), was read by Niat Hailemariam. The Interactive Dialogue was conduced following the publication of the fifth and most recent report of the Special Rapporteur, dated 11 June 2018, available here: https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/ER/A_HRC_38_50_EN.docx Mr. President On behalf of CIVICUS, Reporters without Borders, the Eritrean Movement for Democracy and Human Rights, the Eritrean Law Society, Eritrea Focus, Network of Eritrean Women, Amnesty International, and the Horn of Africa Civil Society Forum, I would first like to express our deep-felt gratitude and appreciation to the Special Rapporteur for her unwavering support […]

July 2, 2018
221
News

Opening Remarks at a Side Event in Geneva

The Eritrean Human Rights Cause at a Critical Juncture: Reflections on Progress, Pitfalls and Prospects (Side Event on the Fringes of the 38th Session of the UN Human Rights Council) 25 June 2018 The following is a full text of the Opening Remarks, given earlier today by the Director of the Eritrean Law Society (ELS), Dr. Daniel Mekonnen, at a side event (panel discussion) organised on the fringes of the 38th Session of the UN Human Rights Council. Good morning everyone, Thank you all for coming to our side event. This side event is part of our on-going struggle to ensure accountably for crimes against humanity in Eritrea. Before we get started, I have a couple of announcements to make. First of all, please note that we will be video-recording this meeting in the form of online steaming (done by our colleague from CIVICUS), and for that purpose we are […]

June 25, 2018
316
News

ELS Partnering in a New Academic Programme

ELS is partnering in a newly launched academic programme initiated by the Barcelona-based International Criminal Bar (ICB). The academic programme, known as the “Luis del Castillo” Permanent Seminar and Master’s in International Criminal Justice, seeks to establish itself as “an instrument of training, research, intellectual debate and exchange of ideas” on issues related to the broader topic of international criminal justice. Supervised by an academic director from the University of Tarragona (locally known as Universitat Rovira i Virgili), the programme will be implemented in collaboration with several other partners of the ICB, one of which is ELS. The programme was officially inaugurated at a ceremony hosted by the City Council of Tarragona (in the Catalonia Region of Spain) in the evening hours of 29 November 2017. Over the next two days, members of the academic programme discussed the design and contents of the different modes to be taught, harmonisation of […]

December 14, 2017
301
News

International Human Rights Day

December 10 is annually observed by the global human rights movement as “the International Day of Human Rights.” It represents the date when in 1948 the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Declaration is described by the UN as: “a milestone document that proclaimed the inalienable rights which everyone is inherently entitled to as a human being — regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. It is also hailed as “the most translated document in the world, available in more than 500 languages.” On this year’s Human Rights Day, the UN has started a year-long campaign to mark the upcoming 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 2018. In social media, the campaign is denoted as: #StandUp4HumanRights. The concept of human rights is relevant in any context and place. […]

December 10, 2017
296
News

Panel Discussion on the Plight of African Refugees

On 7 December 2017, ELS participated in a panel discussion that debated about the plight of African refugees and migrants in so-called “transit countries,” in particular Libya and Niger. The panel discussion, which took place in Geneva, was organised by the African Centre Against Torture (ACAT). It was hosted on the occasion of the release of preliminary findings of “a mapping report” conducted by ACAT and its partner organisation HURIDOCS (Human Rights Information and Documentation Systems), both of which are Geneva-based non-governmental organisations working in the area of torture and other human rights issues. The “mapping report” aimed at chronicling the role of state and non-state actors with respect to torture and other forms of human rights abuses committed against migrants and refugees in transit countries. At the panel discussion, ELS was represented by its Executive Director, who was invited to speak specifically on the role of the African regional […]

December 9, 2017
281
News

Capacity Building on “Democracy Cake”

In collaboration with grassroots leaders and community organisers in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, ELS has successfully implemented its first capacity building session on “Democracy Cake” in Switzerland. The session took place in the afternoon hours of 26 November 2017 in Luzern. The session was conducted by Dr. Daniel Mekonnen, Director of ELS. Developed by researchers of the Norwegian Rafto Foundation for Human Rights, the “Democracy Cake” is an interactive teaching methodology or “a discussion based board exercise which aims to broaden the understanding of what constitutes a democracy.” By way of stimulating a deeper understanding of the subject, the methodology employs the metaphor of “bakery” in building a free and open society using the most essential ingredients of a democratic order. It is best suited to grassroots leaders and community organisers, including diaspora actors. The Tigrinya version of the teaching methodology, dubbed “hmbasha dimokrasi,” was translated from English by […]

November 27, 2017
274
News

Demonstration in Geneva

A series of demonstrations are taking place over the past two weeks, organised by Eritrean diaspora grassroots movements throughout the world. The demonstrations aimed at expressing solidarity with the unprecedented civilian protest of 31 October 2017 that took place in the heart of Asmara, on which ELS has already issued a statement on the 2nd of November 2017. As part of this on-going action, Eritrean pro-democracy activists in Switzerland also staged a well-attended demonstration on 10 November 2017. The demonstration was staged at the Broken Chair monumental sculpture, in front of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG). In all of these demonstrations, Eritreans of all walks of life and their supporters were seen marching in unison, with the aim of raising the alarms in relation to the worsening situation of the human rights crisis in Eritrea. With regard to the civilian protest of 31 October, the demonstrations also aimed […]

November 14, 2017
277
News

Statement of ELS on the Protest of October 31

The Eritrean Law Society (ELS) is closely observing developments that have led to, and that have followed after, the unprecedented civilian protest of 31 October 2017, which occurred in the heart of the capital city of Eritrea. The protest was prompted by the announcement of a drastic government decision that affected the status of educational establishments administered by Eritrean religious institutions. Another major motive for the protest is the arbitrary arrest of respected elders and spiritual leaders, notably Haji Mussa Mohammed Nur, who strongly opposed the government decision. Although the details of causalities are not yet fully known, ELS is concerned by the fact that brute force, including live ammunition, was used to suppress the protest, which was nothing more than a peaceful demonstration against a drastic government measure affecting the lives of thousands of people. In our view, the protest signifies one fundamental reality. In today’s Eritrea, citizens have […]

November 2, 2017
269
News

ELS

ELS and ECCHR Exploring Possible Areas of Collaboration

ELS Attended Regional Consultation on the ICC

Statement Made at the UN Human Rights Council

Opening Remarks at a Side Event in Geneva

ELS Partnering in a New Academic Programme

International Human Rights Day

Panel Discussion on the Plight of African Refugees

Capacity Building on “Democracy Cake”

Demonstration in Geneva

Statement of ELS on the Protest of October 31

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