Human Rights Council

F ift y- sixth session

18 June–12 July 2024

Agenda item 2

Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General

Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on 11 July 2024

5 6 / 17. Situation of human rights in Eritrea

The Human Rights Council,

Guided by the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants on Human Rights and other relevant international human rights instruments,

Recalling General Assembly resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006, Human Rights Council resolutions 5/1 and 5/2 of 18 June 2007, African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights resolution 91 and decisions 250/2002, 275/2003 and 428/12 and all previous Council resolutions on the situation of human rights in Eritrea,

Noting the regional developments and their implications, including for human rights in Eritrea,

Taking note ofthe concluding observations of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the combined second and third periodic reports of Eritrea under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights,

Expressing r egretat the continued lack of cooperation by the Government of Eritrea with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea and other special procedure mandate holders, while noting its previous indication that it wouldengage with a few United Nations human rights mechanisms,

Expressing deep concern at the ongoing human rights violations and abuses, as reported by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur,including those involving arbitrary arrest and incommunicado detention, inhumane conditions of detention, enforced disappearance, extrajudicial killings, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, forced labour and sexual and gender-based violence, as well as the persistent violations of the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief, and freedom of peaceful assembly and association,

Expressing deep concern also at the policy of indefinite conscription into national/military service, the grave human rights violations committed in the context of national service andthe lack of transparency and accountability to date of the Government of Eritrea regarding reported violations and abuses committed by Eritrean military forces, including in northern Ethiopia,

Emphasizing that every citizen has the right to take part in the conduct of public affairs of their country, directly or through freely chosen representatives, and expressing grave concern that national elections have not been held in Eritrea since 1993,

1.Welcomes the report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea and the conclusions therein, and urges the Government of Eritrea to take immediate and concrete steps to implement all the recommendations made by the Special Rapporteur;

2.Expresses deep concern at the reported persistent human rights violations and abuses in Eritrea, in a context of widespread impunity, and reiteratesthat all those responsible for human rights violations and abuses must be held accountable;

3.Decides to extend the mandate of Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea for a further period of one year;

4.Requests the Special Rapporteur to submit and present a report to the Human Rights Council at its fifty-ninth session and to the General Assembly at its seventy-ninth session;

5.Decides to hold an enhanced interactive dialogue on the situation of human rights in Eritrea at its fifty-eighth session with the participation of, inter alia, the Special Rapporteur, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, civil society, Indigenous Peoples, victims and survivors and other relevant stakeholders;

6.Calls upon the Government of Eritrea to cooperate fully with the Office of the High Commissioner, relevant treaty bodies and the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms, including the Special Rapporteur, including by granting the mandate holder unhindered access to the country and committing to making progress on the recommendations included in their reports and on the benchmarks and associated indicators proposed in 2019, namely:

(a)Improvement in the promotion of the rule of law and strengthening of domestic judicial and law enforcement institutions;

(b)A demonstrated commitment to introducing reforms to the national/military service;

(c)Extended efforts to respect, protect and fulfil the rights to freedom of religion or belief, peaceful assembly, association, opinion and expression, including for members of the press, and extended efforts to end religious and ethnic discrimination;

(d)A demonstrated commitment to addressing all forms of sexual and gender-based violence and to promoting the rights of all women and girls and gender equality;

(e)Strengthened cooperation with specialized United Nations human rights bodies, international agencies and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights;

7.Encourages the Government of Eritrea to implement the recommendations accepted by the State during previous cycles of the universal periodic review and to consider inviting the Office of the High Commissioner to establish a presence in Eritrea with a holistic mandate to protect, promote and monitor human rights, with unhindered access;

8.Requests the Secretary-General to provide the Special Rapporteur with all the information and resources necessary to fulfil the mandate;

9.Decides to remain seized of the matter.

36th meeting 11 July 2024

[Adopted by a recorded vote of 20 to 8, with 19 abstentions. The voting was as follows:

In favour:

Albania, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Honduras, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands (Kingdom of the), Paraguay, Romania, United States of America

Against:

Algeria, Burundi, China, Cuba, Eritrea, India, Somalia, Sudan

Abstaining:

Bangladesh, Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, Qatar, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Viet Nam]