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11 - Eritrea: Towards a Transition?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 October 2014

Kjetil Tronvoll
Affiliation:
Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Bjoerknes College, founding and senior partner of the International Law and Policy Institute, Oslo, and a former Professor of Human Rights at the University of Oslo
Daniel R. Mekonnen
Affiliation:
Senior Legal Advisor, International Law and Policy Institute, Oslo, and former Judge of the Zoba Maekel Provincial Court in Eritrea
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Summary

INTRODUCTION

As we have seen, when the ELPF came to power in 1991 and established itself as a provisional government, hopes were high for a democratic system of governance. Over two decades later these aspirations are nothing but bleak memories. In the intervening years Eritrea has developed into one of the world's most totalitarian and human rights-abusing regimes. This is well established in the wealth of academic literature, reports of international rights groups, interviews with refugees, victims and other stakeholders, as well as decisions of regional and international semi-judicial organs that we have cited extensively throughout this work. For example, at least four major pronouncements were made against the Eritrean government at different times by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, as discussed in Chapter 5. These semi-judicial opinions have made it clear that the practice of the Eritrean government as related to the G-15 and the journalists of the free press, and by implication to all other victims of political persecution, is contrary to the government's commitment emanating from relevant treaty law.

As noted by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Eritrea, the major problem lies in the fact that ‘the basic tenets of the rule of law are not respected in Eritrea owing to a centralized system of Government where decision-making powers are concentrated in the hands of the President and his close collaborators’ (Special Rapporteur 2013: 8).

Type
Chapter
Information
The African Garrison State
Human Rights and Political Development in Eritrea
, pp. 184 - 194
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
Print publication year: 2014

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  • Eritrea: Towards a Transition?
  • Kjetil Tronvoll, Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Bjoerknes College, founding and senior partner of the International Law and Policy Institute, Oslo, and a former Professor of Human Rights at the University of Oslo, Daniel R. Mekonnen, Senior Legal Advisor, International Law and Policy Institute, Oslo, and former Judge of the Zoba Maekel Provincial Court in Eritrea
  • Book: The African Garrison State
  • Online publication: 05 October 2014
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  • Eritrea: Towards a Transition?
  • Kjetil Tronvoll, Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Bjoerknes College, founding and senior partner of the International Law and Policy Institute, Oslo, and a former Professor of Human Rights at the University of Oslo, Daniel R. Mekonnen, Senior Legal Advisor, International Law and Policy Institute, Oslo, and former Judge of the Zoba Maekel Provincial Court in Eritrea
  • Book: The African Garrison State
  • Online publication: 05 October 2014
Available formats
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Eritrea: Towards a Transition?
  • Kjetil Tronvoll, Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Bjoerknes College, founding and senior partner of the International Law and Policy Institute, Oslo, and a former Professor of Human Rights at the University of Oslo, Daniel R. Mekonnen, Senior Legal Advisor, International Law and Policy Institute, Oslo, and former Judge of the Zoba Maekel Provincial Court in Eritrea
  • Book: The African Garrison State
  • Online publication: 05 October 2014
Available formats
×