EU STATEMENT ON POLITICAL PRISONERS IN ERITREA

Eritrea Daily
19 September 2007
NJ

The Portuguese EU presidency yesterday issued on behalf of the
European Union the following declaration regarding political prisoners
in Eritrea:

Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on
political prisoners in Eritrea

The European Union remains extremely concerned with the situation
of political prisoners in Eritrea and would like to reiterate the
main lines of the Declaration issued on the 18th September 2006 as,
so far, the situation has not seen any positive developments.

On 18 September 2001 a group of eleven prominent members of Parliament
and of the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice, the only political
party in Eritrea, was arrested. A few days later, 10 independent
journalists were also arrested. Since then, other individuals have
been arrested and detained incommunicado, with no charges and with
their right to a due process suspended.

Despite repeated appeals by the International Community, including the
EU, and several Governmental and non-governmental Human Rights bodies,
these prisoners remain in detention, without having been charged
with any offence, and without access to a free and fair trial. None
has been brought before a magistrate, although Eritrean laws require
this to be done within 48 hours.

The European Union is deeply concerned about these severe violations
of basic human rights and urges the Government of the State of Eritrea
to disclose evidence of their place of detention, detention conditions
and health status. The European Union also urges the Government of
the State of Eritrea to either bring charges against those detained
and instruct a due and open process with legal representation or to
unconditionally release them.

Furthermore, the EU urges the Government of the State of Eritrea to
allow the families, legal representatives and medical doctors of their
choice to have access to the prisoners. The Eritrean authorities should
ensure that the treatment of these prisoners while in custody adheres
to all the conditions set out in Basic Principles for the Treatment
of Prisoners, adopted by the UN General Assembly Resolution 45/11 of
14 December 1990.

As far as the EU is concerned, the welfare of the detainees is an
important issue. The EU therefore would like to assess their situation
and reiterates the request to allow the EU Heads of Mission in Asmara
to visit those concerned.

The Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and
Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and the EFTA countries Iceland and
Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine,
the Republic of Moldova, Armenia and Georgia align themselves with
this declaration.

* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to
be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.