Inter­na­tio­nal Support of Conscien­tious Objec­tors and Deserters

Dual Agenda: In Ethiopia’s civil war, Eritrea’s army exacted deadly vengeance on old foes

(01.11.2021) When Eritrea sent troops into the Tigray region, the secretive nation seized a double opportunity: It detained thousands of Eritrean refugees as it battled Ethiopia’s former rulers. Spearheading the bloody campaign: a colonel nicknamed ‘Son of Bread’.

Young Syrians flee regime areas for Turkey

(11.05.2021) Dozens of young men from areas controlled by the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) cross daily smuggling routes to the areas under the Syrian opposition to reach Turkey and flee to Europe to escape conscription in the Syrian army.

Action: Stop the Slavery in Eritrea

Gallery to the action to the International Day of Conscientious Objection

(17.05.2019) Several dozen met on the occasion of the International Day of Conscientious Objection (May 15) in Bonn. They focussed on the situation in Eritrea, a country where women and men are conscripted indefinitely. The right of conscientious objection doesn’t exist in Eritrea. Some conscientious objectors have been detained for almost 25 years. The participants also submitted a petition to the European Commission Representation in Bonn. In it they called on the European Union to stop a project for road construction: “The aid subsidizes a dictatorial regime. Conscripts are meant to be used whose employment can only be described as slavery. There are no assurances on behalf of the Eritrean government to comply with human rights.” (...more)

UN Special Rapporteur emphasises the gravity of human rights violations in Eritrea

A packed international conference took place in Brussels

(23.10.2017) There are “reasonable grounds to believe crimes against humanity are taking place”, stated Sheila Keetharuth, UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Eritrea, at a major high-ranking international staffed conference held in Brussels this week. The dire human rights situation in the Horn of Africa nation— including arbitrary detention and extrajudicial executions—has “not improved in essentials”, she emphasised, despite consistent attention in recent years from the UN and human rights agencies.