Fate of 11 Eritrean MPs Still Major Concern 12 Years After Disappearance
| Publisher | Inter-Parliamentary Union |
| Publication Date | 18 September 2013 |
| Cite as | Inter-Parliamentary Union, Fate of 11 Eritrean MPs Still Major Concern 12 Years After Disappearance, 18 September 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/524572084.html [accessed 22 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
IPU continues to demand information on the fate of 11 Eritrean MPs who were arrested 12 years ago and have never been seen since. The MPs have had no contact whatsoever with the outside world, including their families and lawyers, since they were detained on 18 September 2001. They were arrested on unfounded allegations of conspiracy and attempting to overthrow the government after writing an open letter criticising the Eritrean President, Isaias Afwerki, and calling for "peaceful and democratic dialogue and the rule of law". The MPs, ten men and one woman, included the country's Labour Minister Mahmoud Ahmed Sherifo; two former foreign ministers, Halle Woldetensae and Petros Solomon; and the former army chief, Ogbe Abraha. None of the MPs has ever been formally charged or brought to trial - a flagrant breach of the Eritrean Constitution as well as the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights. IPU believes the prolonged detention of the MPs without charge flies in the face of justice and human dignity. Despite persistent requests by IPU's Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, the Eritrean government has refused to provide information about any of the detained MPs or their future, and there are serious concerns for their health. In 2010, unconfirmed and unofficial reports from a former prison guard who had fled Eritrea, stated that nine of the 11 MPs had died, chiefly due to inhumane prison conditions and lack of medical attention. Prisoners in Eritrea are often held in underground cells or shipping containers which are unbearably hot by day and freezing at night. Since independence from Ethiopia in 1993, Eritrea has been led by President Afwerki under the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ). There have been no other parties or elections to the National Assembly.
