Human rights in Eritrea

Human rights in Eritrea are viewed as poor. [http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/01/18/eritre12307.htm Eritrea Human Rights Overview] Human Rights Watch] Eritrea is a one-party state in which national legislative elections have been repeatedly postponed, [http://www.grassrootsonline.org/what-we-do/partnerships/where-we-work/eritrea Eritrea] Grassroots International] the judiciary is weak, and constitutional provisions protecting individual freedom have yet to be fully implemented.Fact|date=October 2007 Security forces are responsible for unlawful killings. Observers in the West accuse the Government of Eritrea of arbitrary arrest and detentions and of detaining an unknown number of people without charge for their political activism.Fact|date=October 2007 Freedom of speech and the press are severely constrained while freedom of assembly, association, movement, and religion also are restricted.

Eritrean government officials and NGO representatives have participated in numerous public meetings and dialogues. In these sessions they have answered questions as fundamental as, "What are human rights?", "Who determines what are human rights?", and "What should take precedence, human or communal rights?" [cite web|title=Public Dialogue Human Rights in Eritrea|url=http://www.shaebia.org/artman/publish/article_4551.html|date=2006-06-01|accessdate=2006-09-10]

In Regional Assemblies and religious circles, Eritreans themselves speak out continuously against the use of female circumcision. They cite health concerns and individual freedom as being of primary concern when they say this. Furthermore they implore rural peoples to cast away this ancient cultural practice. [cite web|title=Anseba Religious leaders condemn female circumcision|url=http://www.shabait.com/staging/publish/article_005411.html|date=2006-08-31|accessdate=2006-09-10] [cite web|title=Religious leaders of Northern Red Sea region condemn female circumcision|url=http://www.shabait.com/staging/publish/article_005446.html|date=2006-09-09|accessdate=2006-09-10]

References

*loc

External links

* [http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/38/ Censorship in Eritrea] - IFEX
* [http://www.jw-media.org/newsroom/index.htm?content=africa_middle_east.htm Authorized Site of the Office of Public Information of Jehovah's Witnesses of Eritrea]