Brussels, 11/03/2016 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament has called on the European Commission to ensure that the €200 million planned for financing development cooperation with Eritrea until 2020 under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) goes exclusively to help the people of Eritrea and not its autocratic government - which has one of “the worst human rights records” in the world.
This aid should be conditional upon putting an end to human rights violations and re-orientating the country's energy policy to make energy accessible for everyone, the MEPs state in a resolution adopted in plenary in Strasbourg on Wednesday 10 March.
The reason for their harshness is that the Parliament's development committee opposed the approval of Eritrea's national indicative programme (which defines the framework for this cooperation), and does not accept that the Commission and member states, sitting within the EDF committee, glossed over this opposition (see EUROPE 11477).
The Parliament underlines its serious concern for the deplorable human rights situation in Eritrea and the country's total lack of rule of law and media freedom. The Parliament states that priority must be given to the fight against the justice deficit, and to democratic governance and restoring the rule of law by putting an end to an authoritarian regime founded on the fear of arbitrary detention, torture and other human rights violations - some of which can constitute crimes against humanity.
MEPs call for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience - including 11 members of Eritrea's parliament and eminent members of the people's front for democracy and justice (PFDJ), held without charge since 18 September 2011 and without the possibility of seeing a lawyer; 10 independent journalists illegally detained since 23 September 2001 - including Dawit Isaak, a Swedish national and the only European prisoner of conscience; and the patriarch Abune Antionios who has been living in secret, under house arrest since January 2006.
The European Parliament also underlines that the situation in Eritrea “directly affects Europe” through the number of refugees. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, 5,000 Eritreans leave their country every month. In 2015, 69% of applications for asylum from Eritreans ended up being granted refugee status in the EU. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)