Human Rights Council

Sixty-second session

15 June–8 July 2026

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 6 July 2026

6 2 / 2. 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, and deploring increasing regional tensions and instability,

Recalling the 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,

Welcoming the ratification by Eritrea of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and inviting the Government to consider requesting technical assistance for its implementation,

Noting progress on economic and social rights, including relating to essential health services, such as routine immunization rates above 95 per cent, education, continued reduction in female genital mutilation, data collection on child protection, and on water, sanitation and hygiene,

Welcoming the release of some arbitrarily detained individuals and urging the Government to continue the release of persons remaining in arbitrary detention in Eritrea, including politicians, journalists, priests and students, held without charge or trial,

Welcoming alsothe training offered by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Asmara at the Government’s request and the initiative for strengthening national capacity on human rights reporting and engagement with United Nations human rights mechanisms, and supporting their continuation,

Welcoming further the engagement of Eritrea in the fourth cycle of the universal periodic review, and noting its support for 126 recommendations out of 293 recommendations,

Expressing regret at 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,

Inviting all States to facilitate cooperation with the Special Rapporteur, where requested,

Expressing continued 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 violations and abuses of civil and political rights, such as arbitrary arrest and incommunicado detention, inhumane conditions of detention, violations of the right to a fair and public hearing, access to justice and due process, enforced disappearances, 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 continued deep concern also at the policy and practice of prolonged and indefinite conscription into national/military service, the grave human rights violations committed in the context of national service and the wide-ranging negative impact of national/military service on the enjoyment of civil, political, economic and social rights, and encouraging Eritrea on concrete reforms of the national/military service,

Expressing deep concern at the 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,

Expressing concern at acts of transnational repression, as reported by the Special Rapporteur, including the targeting of human rights defenders, journalists and government critics outside of Eritrea,

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 continuing widespread impunity, and reiterates that 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 on the situation of human rights in Eritrea to the Human Rights Council at its sixty-fifth session, to be followed by an enhanced interactive dialogue 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, and to the General Assembly at its eighty-first session;

5.Continues to call 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, ending the conscription of school-age children and preventing cases of sexual and gender-based violence, inhumane treatment and forced labour;

(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;

6.Encourages the Government of Eritrea to implement the recommendations accepted by the State during the fourth cycle 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, and to invite the Office to provide technical assistance and capacity-building;

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

8.Decides to remain seized of the matter.

31st meeting

6 July 2026

[Adopted by a recorded vote of 23to 6, with 17 abstentions. The voting was as follows:

In favour:

Albania, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Cyprus, Czechia, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Ethiopia, France, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Netherlands (Kingdom of the), North Macedonia, Republic of Korea, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Against:

Burundi, China, Cuba, Egypt, India, Pakistan

Abstaining:

Angola, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Gambia, Ghana, Indonesia, Iraq, Kenya, Kuwait, Malawi, Mauritius, Qatar, South Africa, Thailand, Viet Nam]