TO: MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
You are respectfully requested to attend an OPEN hearing of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, to be held by the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building (and available live on the Committee website Continue reading »
ኣንታ መዓስ ኢኻ እትምርዓወኒ። ድሕሪ ኣይ-ኲናት-ኣይ-ሰላም። ግርም’ባ መምኽነይታ
The United Nations Human Rights Council condemns Eritrea as the situation of freedom of expression and human rights has continued to deteriorate in Eritrea since the adoption of the last resolution by the Council in July 2012.
The United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) on June 14, 2013 adopted by consensus a resolution in which it renewed the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Eritrea for a period of one year and strongly condemned the continued widespread and systematic violations of human rights committed by the Eritrean authorities.
Yet the government of Eritrea has consistently refused to cooperate with the UN Special Rapporteur on Eritrea. As a concerned member State, Eritrea again refuted today’s resolution to renew the mandate but this did not change the position of member States.
The resolution strongly condemned “the sever restrictions on freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of information, freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and freedom of peaceful assembly and association, including the detention of journalists, human rights defenders, political actors, religious leaders and practitioners in Eritrea.”
The Eastern Africa Journalists Association (EAJA) today saluted the unanimous decision of the United Nations Human Rights Council, at its 23rd session in Geneva, to renew mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Eritrea while adopting a resolution strongly condemning the “continued widespread and systematic violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms committed by Eritrean authorities”.
“Renewing the Special Rapporteur mandate sends an important message to the Eritrean government that violations should stop and they must comply with their international obligations, to restore the dialogue with the international community and to genuinely cooperate with international human rights mechanisms,” said Omar Faruk Osman, EAJA Secretary General who addressed the council today.
Ahead of the adoption, EAJA urged the Member States of the UN Human Rights Council to support the resolution renewing the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea, and to toughen the resolution of the Human Rights Council by condemning the patterns of widespread and systematic violations, including the incommunicado detention of journalists, committed by Eritrean regime.
“Today the Human Rights Council once more affirmed that the violations of human rights in Eritrea should end urgently and continued to mandate an in-depth monitoring of the situation in the country,” added Osman.
39 countries supported the resolution, which was jointly tabled by Djibouti, Somalia and Nigeria. EAJA lobbied Djibouti and Somalia to take the lead in sponsoring this resolution which concerns a member State in the Horn of Africa region.
Exercise of the right to freedom of expression and of the press is subjected to severe restrictions and these rights no longer exist in this Horn of Africa country. Eritrea stands worst jailer of journalists in Eastern Africa region, and continues to ignore calls to free all journalists in prison and other prisoners of conscience.
GENEVA (4 June 2013) – “Freedom of expression cannot be ensured without respect to privacy in communications,” United Nations Special Rapporteur Frank La Rue said today, calling for more global attention to the widespread use of surveillance technologies by States in violation of the human rights to privacy and freedom of expression. Continue reading »
Egypt frets, fumes over Ethiopia’s Nile plan
By Griff Witte, Wednesday, June 12, 9:21 PM E-mail the writers
GIZA, EGYPT — Since long before the Pyramids towered above the rich soil of this riverside town, Egyptians have given thanks to the muddy waters of the Nile.
“Plants, animals, humans,” said Ibrahim Abdel Aziz, a 45-year-old farmer, “we all come from this river.” Continue reading »
President Al Bashir will discuss with the Eritrean President, Assias Afwerki, progress of the bilateral relations and means of consolidating the bilateral relations between the two countries.
The delegation accompanying President Al Bashir includes the Minister at the Presidency of the Republic, Gen. Bakri Hassan Salih, Foreign Minister, Ali Karti, and the Director of the National Security and Intelligence Service, Lt. Gen. (Eng.) Mohamed Atta. Continue reading »
http://www.capitalfm.co.ke
KHARTOUM, Jun 12 – Eight members of an Eritrean opposition movement have been arrested in Sudan’s border region, a leader of the exile group said on Wednesday. They were detained on Saturday around Kassala town, said a leader of the Eritrean Islamic Reform Movement, who asked not to be named. Continue reading »
There is a “serious misperception” about the National Security Agency’s PRISM program, Google chief legal officer David Drummond said in an exclusive interview with Fox News. On Tuesday the company pushed back against the layers of secrecy surrounding the agency’s alleged blanket snooping on American citizens. Continue reading »
Addis Ababa — As tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia rise over a new dam on the Blue Nile, Addis Ababa on Sunday stressed that no force could stop the construction of its massive Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) being built just 30 kilometers from the border with Sudan. Continue reading »
BY MAGGIE MICHAEL ASSOCIATED PRESS
CAIRO – Angry Egyptian lawmakers accused the country’s prime minister and government on Monday of doing nothing to prevent Ethiopia from completing a dam that threatens to leave Nile-dependent Egypt with a dangerous water shortage.
Prime Minister Hesham Kandil had just finished addressing parliament about how the government planned to work diplomatically, legally and technically to negotiate with Ethiopia over the dam when the session heated up. Continue reading »
