The Commission of Inquiry on human rights in Eritrea

Commission of Inquiry's controversial report on Eritrea has met heavy criticism

The Commission of Inquiry on human rights in Eritrea.
UNOG-UNCHR
8-14 rue de la Paix
CH-1211 Geneva
Switzerland

January 7, 2016

Hunorable Commissionaires,

Thank you for the opportunity to express my opinion concerning the ongoing investigation by the Human rights rapporteur in Eritrea. I am an Eritrean National living in Geneva Switzerland since 1986. I have visited Eritrea almost every summer since its independence in 1991 and I am amazed  by the progress it has made in all areas that matters to the people. Education, health, clean water, electricity and food security. There is no political instability in Eritrea. The people of Eritrea are united and resolutely support the Eritrean government.

Eritrea's present problem is caused by a declaration of war and occupation of its territory by Ethiopia. UN guaranteed Peace agreement and a demarcated border is waiting to be implemented. The Eritrean people are waiting for justice.

The united Nations have a long history of injustices committed against the Eritrean People. It started in 1952 when the UN decided to give away Eritrea to Ethiopia. That led to 30 years of bloodshed and Ethiopia destroyed villages, killed thousands with forbidden weapons of mass destruction and thousands more were forced to live in exile. I am one of them.

During the war, there were twenty thousands Ethiopian prisoners of war under the care of the Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front. The UN and the Red Cross did not want to get involved and take care of those prisoners of war. It was an “internal Ethiopian affair”.

Now Eritrea is free and the UN wants to send Human rights rapporteur to Eritrea in violation of Eritrea's sovereign rights. This among other facts shows the moral bankruptcy of the United Nations.

To come back to the actual investigation and the method of data collection followed by the UN Human Rights Rapporteur, it is totally false, biased and not objective for the following reasons:

1. The interviewed refugees do not represent the Eritrean people.

2. The refugees identity is not verified and your rapporteur is not interested.
As the ambassador of Austria recently revealed, about 40% of refugees who claim Eritrean
nationality, actually are Ethiopians. That number could easily be around 60%, if you add asylum
seekers from Sudan and Somalia who have claimed Eritrean Nationality.

3. Although there are thousands of Eritrean expatriates who are no more refugees, the rapporteur
interviewed only refugees who have a motive to lie and exaggerate to gain refugee status.

4. Your human rights rapporteur ignored the invitation of the established Eritrean communities
for a panel discussion and gathered information from well known regime change anti-Eritrea
groups only,hence the rapporteur has become an instrument of propaganda against Eritrea.

Now let us see the actual human rights violations Eritrea is accused of:

1. Accusation of violence against women.

This is unthinkable in Eritrea. Accusation of rape by asylum seekers should not be used to
defame the peacefull civilized people of Eritrea. Isolated crimes happen every where and it is not the policy of any government. In Eritrea this crime is punishable by law. Refugees have a motive for lying, especially non Eritrean refugees.

Women's rights is guaranteed by law and fact, as in government representation, land ownership
and forbidden under age marriages.

2. Unlimited National service.

Ethiopia has declared war against Eritrea and it has occupied sovereign Eritrean land despite
legal demarcation and UN security council's chapter 7 guaranteed agreement.
Eritrea has the right to defend itself.

Migration under war situation is not unique to Eritrea and no military service would have been
necessary in Eritrea, had the United Nations, as guarantor of the Algeries Agreement, taken its
responsibility and implemented the agreement.

3. Religious persecution

There is no religious persecution in Eritrea. Christianity and Islam are the established faiths.
The people have lived in harmony for centuries. All religious establishments should respect
Eritrean laws. As you well know, Extremism is not unique to Islam. Christian extremist should not have a green card to destabilize our beloved country.

4. There is no shoot to kill policy in Eritrea.

The Eritrean government tries to control illegal migration and human trafficking like any other state. There is a well organized media offensive to defame Eritrean leaders, institutions and history by the regime change groups and the commission's rapporteur should not facilitate their task.

There is no one more qualified to protect Eritrea than the heroic fighters who have liberated it against all odds.

The UN Commission of Inquiry has become the judge and jury, with witnesses of their choice, to condemn Eritrea. The Eritrean people had lost hope on the United Nations and have decided to take their destiny into their own hands, with truth and history on their side.

Gezzae GHEBRE-MEDHIN
Geneva Switzerland
email  ghebre.gezzae@gmail.com

CC : The President of the Human Rights Council

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