Inter­na­tio­nal Support of Conscien­tious Objec­tors and Deserters

Eritrea: Stop the aid of a dictatorial regime and slavery

Petition to the European Commission

(17.05.2019) Dear Mr. Pöttgen, dear Mr. Kühnel,

herewith we would like to present to you in your capacity as representative of the European Commission in Germany on the occasion of the International Day of Conscientious Objection (May 15) a petition by the undersigned organizations.

Stop the Slavery in Eritrea - 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)

Non-assistance to persons in danger

Failure of European institutions to protect conscientious objectors

(13.05.2019) On the occasion of the International Conscientious Objection Day on 15 May 2019, the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) red-flags the multiple discriminations that conscientious objectors to military service continue to undergo in Europe. In the run-up to the European elections, EBCO points moreover to the enduring omission of European institutions to take action against the violation of the human right to conscientious objection. “Non-assistance to persons in danger – this sums up the continued failure of major European institutions to support those who despite massive discrimination call upon the fundamental right of conscientious objection to military service”, EBCO’s President Friedhelm Schneider stated today.

Foundation Human Rights for Eritreans Summons EU to Stop Supporting Use of Forced Labour in Eritrean Project

(01.04.2019) The Foundation Human Rights for Eritreans, a Netherlandsbased organization of exiled Eritreans, is taking legal action against the European Union. The EU is financing activities in Eritrea for which forced labour is used. This is a clear violation of human rights and the EU’s adherence to international legal obligations. Today, the EU received a letter in which the Foundation asked the EU to immediately stop financing these actions.