Eritrea

Eritrea's location in Africa.

“”Yet twenty-five years into his party's rule, Isaias Afwerki is still the president of Eritrea. Elections were scheduled for 2001, but have yet to take place. It is no wonder that Eritrea is often nicknamed the “North Korea of Africa.”

—Asma Saad, consicely explaining Eritrea[1]

State of ~~Hell~~ Eritrea

Demographics

Population: | 3,546,000
GDP (million): | 2,075
GDP p/cap.: | 585
Life expectancy: | 62.4
Development Index: | 0.434
Government

Democracy Index: | 2.37
Corruption Index: | 23
More

Education Index: | 0.267
Religiosity: | N/A

~~North Ethiopia~~ Eritrea, formally the State of Eritrea, also sometimes called "Africa's North Korea", is a horrifyingly corrupt, impoverished, and oppressive East African country, demolished by decades of conflict with Ethiopia.[2] Located in the northern Horn of Africa, it has a long southern border with Ethiopia, a nation it had historically been a part of[3] before Italy purchased the region from a local Sultan and turned it into a colony.[2][4] Ethiopia got it back after World War II,[5] but ethnic Eritreans longed for independence, and Ethiopia's annexation of the region would trigger a three-decade-long war.[6] After Eritrea successfully won this war and held a referendum, they gained national sovereignty under a heavily authoritarian single-party state.[2] Five years later, a border clash would lead to the Eritrean-Ethiopian War, which settled nothing and only resulted in two of the world's poorest countries wasting money and lives. Since then, Ethiopia has become a highly corrupt, de-facto one-party state,[7] and Eritrea is still a sovereign, totalitarian military dictatorship.[2]

The Eritrean government spent 6.3% of the country's entire GDP on its military in 2006.[8] Even the USA only spent 3.85% that year, and a 2010 peak couldn't even top that.[9] These expenditures are particularly galling for a country with its population in appalling poverty.[10] President Afwerki maintains his military primarily for the purpose of oppressing the public, throwing people into shipping containers to die,[11] and other horrific human rights violations.[12] Military service is inescapable; the government drafts arbitrarily and with impunity. Eritrea is also one of the most censored nations in the world, and all independent news media has been shut down since 2001.[13]

## Contents

* 1 Political and civil rights
* 1.1 Elections and the democratic process
* 1.2 Freedom of religion
* 1.3 Press freedom
* 1.4 LGBT rights
* 1.5 Crimes against humanity
* 1.6 Government slavery
* 2 Refugees
* 3 Gallery
* 4 See also
* 5 External links
* 6 References

## Political and civil rights[edit]

### Elections and the democratic process[edit]

President Afwerki all the way back in 2002.

Ha! Made you look!

There are no elections.

This is not an exaggeration. There has not been one election since the Eritrean independence referendum of 1993.[14] The International Foundation for Electoral Systems has a very strikingly blank page for displaying the results of past Eritrean elections.[15] For another similarity to North Korea, here's the page for North Korea, which is also blank.[16]

President Isaias Afwerki has been around since 1993 when he was appointed by the National Assembly, which was itself in a transitional phase where it was almost entirely composed of old Eritrean People's Liberation Front leaders.[14] Of course, the constitution they ratified mandated that free and open elections by secret ballot would be held once the country had been stabilized. Those elections were scheduled for December 2001.[17] Needless to say, they never happened. Currently, the only party allowed to be within sniffing range of power is the totalitarian nationalist People's Front for Democracy and Justice.[18] Note the similar name to the EPLF.

Sadly, there isn't much hope for any elections in the future, either. President Afwerki has rather transparently been using the constant threat of Ethiopia to justify his postponement of national elections.[19] Naturally, another violently hostile border dispute popped up in 2008, this time with Djibouti,[20] in case Ethiopia wasn't enough.

The point is that Eritrea's IFES Election Guide page will likely stay blank for a long time.

### Freedom of religion[edit]

The unfortunate Eritrean people.

Eritrea officially recognizes the Roman Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church, Sunni Islam, and the Evangelical Church of Eritrea as valid religions.[21] Unregistered faiths, particularly Jehovah's Witnesses and Pentecostals, face brutal persecution, including routine beatings and imprisonment in deliberately harsh environments such as shipping containers.[21] Religious gatherings are banned for unregistered faiths, and the punishment often involves prolonged and arbitrary prison sentences without trial. As of 2013, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom estimates that Eritrea has roughly 3,000 people imprisoned due to religious beliefs, with many survivors reporting being tortured.[22]

Of course, you can't sleep easy if you're a member of a recognized religion, either. The Eritrean government is more than happy to interfere in the internal affairs of these religions to control their populace and purge dissenters.[23]

How Christlike.

### Press freedom[edit]

You didn't expect Eritrea to have a free press, did you?

Let's start with the big one: The Committee to Protect Journalists rated Eritrea as the most censored nation in 2012. Even more censored than North Korea.[24] They cite the nation's disturbing willingness to arrest journalists for almost no reason and the President's even more disturbing refusal to account for the prisoners' whereabouts, health, or legal status.

Much of this activity occurs under the 1996 Press Proclamation Law, which mandates that all publications must be approved by the Information Ministry before release. Also, it bans reprinting material from banned publications, of which there are many.[25] Foreign journalists are also not permitted to enter the country.

This began with a ban on independent media on September 18th, 2001, when the government banned all private publications, arrested eleven people, and ordered all printing houses to stop printing everything, including wedding invitations and nightclub posters.[26] After this, President Afwerki successfully centralized the entire national press under his control, consequently reducing the nation's newspapers to little more than vehicles for ads and obituaries.

### LGBT rights[edit]

Sexual intercourse between members of the same gender is illegal in Eritrea, leading to jail time from 10 days to 3 years.[27] There are also reports of suspected gay individuals being rounded up for imprisonment or death, although the country's general environment makes these reports difficult to confirm.[28] There are no legal protections for gay or transgender individuals against discrimination, and changing gender is illegal.[29] Discourse in Eritrea is so suppressed that the very existence of sexual minorities is probably unknown to much of the nation's population.

### Crimes against humanity[edit]

See the main article on this topic: Crimes against humanity

Given the indefinite suspension of Eritrea's constitution for more than twenty years, it's hardly surprising that the nation has no real rule of law. Its lack of a judiciary, a real national assembly, or any kind of democratic institution has created a climate where the government is free to brutalize its citizens with absolute impunity.[30] Nothing and no one can hold Eritrea's president accountable, which is, of course, the point.

A United Nations press release and many other NGOs have repeatedly exposed a multitude of crimes against humanity committed by the Eritrean government in its detention facilities, its military camps, and other locations. These crimes include slavery, torture, political murder, judicial rape, indefinite national service, and arbitrary detention.[31]

### Government slavery[edit]

The compulsory military service is 18 months, but in reality, those drafted by it often spend the rest of their lives in government slave labor utterly unrelated to the military.[32][33] They really have no reason to still have the draft going on, as they aren't in conflict with anyone now. Eritrean children are forced to become child soldiers, usually when they are in their last school year.[34]

## Refugees[edit]

Eritrean asylum seekers at Levinsky park Tel Aviv.

As can be expected with such horrific conditions, more than 400,000[32] (tried to) flee Eritrea, making them one of the biggest sources of refugees from 2001 to 2010.[35] Unfortunately, Eritrea has some draconian laws, forcing citizens to pay income tax even while living abroad (the US is the only other country to do this),[36] and allegedly employs spies to intimidate Eritrean refugees.[37]

In 2014, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that Israel purposely mistreats Eritrean asylum seekers to force them to leave.[38]

Denmark has tactics for deterring Eritrean asylum seekers. Danish Immigration Service used to, in November 2014, state that Eritrean asylum seekers don't face persecution for illegally leaving Eritrea.[39] They hastily switched their position in December 2014 after the HRW and UN complained.[39] In 2016, Denmark legalized police taking money and expensive personal possessions from asylum seekers in searches.[40]

Britain's asylum officials had an increase in rejected Eritrean asylum seekers, which led to a rise in successful appeals.[41] The waiting process to officially claim asylum is long; asylum seekers may have to wait for years.

## Gallery[edit]

* Street in Asmara, Eritrea's capital.

* Eritrean flatbread with various stews.

* Sheikh Hanafi Mosque in Massawa.

* "Free" Eritrea, huh?

* Coffee is served at an Eritrean cafe.

* Eritrean steam train.

## See also[edit]

* Asia's Eritrea

## External links[edit]

* See the Wikipedia article on Eritrea.
* Eritrea country profile
* Eritrea | World | Africa | Human Rights Watch

## References[edit]

1. ↑ Eritrea's Silent Totalitarianism
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Eritrea profile - overview (May 4, 2016) BBC
3. ↑ See the Wikipedia article on Kingdom of Aksum.
4. ↑ Text of Encyclopedia Britannica 1911.
5. ↑ History of Eritrea Historyworld.net
6. ↑ Ethiopia and Eritrea Global Policy Forum
7. ↑ Ethiopia needs a multi-party democracy to end the crushing impact of corruption Asayehgn Desta. The Conversation. April 17, 2017.
8. ↑ Eritrea. DefenseWeb. May 2013.
9. ↑ U.S. Military Spending/Defense Budget 1960-2025. MacroTrends.
10. ↑ Thelwell, Kim (2019-10-07). "9 Facts About Poverty In Eritrea". The Borgen Project.
11. ↑ "Eritrea: Detainees in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions defenceless against COVID-19". Amnesty International. 2020-05-21.
12. ↑ Houreld, Katharine (2024-01-06). "An African gulag so ghastly that inmates risk death to escape". Washington Post.
13. ↑ "Eritrea: Freedom in the World 2024 Country Report". Freedom House.
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Elections in Eritrea Last Updated: 23 January 2011
15. ↑ IFES Election Guide State of Eritrea
16. ↑ IFES Election Guide Democratic People's Republic of Korea
17. ↑ Freedom House Report|Eritrea 2001
18. ↑ Eritrea country profile BBC
19. ↑ Isaias Afwerki Encyclopedia Britannica
20. ↑ What is behind tension between Eritrea and Djibouti? BBC 20 June 2017
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Religious persecution in Eritrea BBC Jonah Fisher, 17 September, 2004
22. ↑ The country that's never had an election Tiffany Lynch, Foreign Policy. Nov 6, 2013
23. ↑ [1] US Commission on International Religious Freedom "Eritrea Annual Reports: Key Findings"
24. ↑ Attacks on the Press: Eritrea The Committee to Protect Journalists
25. ↑ Eritrea Freedom House 2015.
26. ↑ Remembering the day the Eritrean press died Al Jazeera SEP.18.17
27. ↑ Homosexuality "against Eritrean values" afrol News
28. ↑ "Eritrea". Human Dignity Trust. 2024-12-17.
29. ↑ LGBT Rights in Eritrea. Equaldex.
30. ↑ Crimes against humanity committed in Eritrea, warns UN group UN News 8 June 2016
31. ↑ UN Inquiry finds crimes against humanity in Eritrea UN Human Rights: Office of the High Commissioner 8 June 2016
32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Eritrea: events of 2016 HRW
33. ↑ EU accused of funding project in Eritrea using 'forced labour' BBC
34. ↑ It's not at war, but up to 3% of its people have fled. What is going on in Eritrea? by Patrick Kingsley The Guardian
35. ↑ UNHCR Glocal Trends 2010
36. ↑ Eritrea "intimidates emigrants into paying tax" afrol News
37. ↑ How Eritrea controls its exiles by Daniel Campos i24NEWS
38. ↑ "Make Their Lives Miserable" HRW
39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 Dispatches: Denmark’s Deterrence Tactics on Refugees HRW
40. ↑ Danish parliament approves plan to seize assets from refugees by David Crouch and Patrick Kingsley The Guardian
41. ↑ Young Eritreans are victims of poor decision making by British asylum officials by Jo Wilding The Conversation

Nations of the world

Africa:Algeria — Democratic Republic of the Congo — Egypt — Eritrea — eSwatini — Ethiopia — Guinea — Kenya — Liberia — Libya — Mali — Nigeria — Somalia — South Africa — Sudan — Togo — Uganda — Zimbabwe

Asia: Afghanistan — Armenia — Azerbaijan — Bahrain — Bangladesh — Brunei — Burma — Cambodia — China — Cyprus — Egypt — Georgia — India — Indonesia — Iran — Iraq — Israel — Japan — Jordan — Kazakhstan — Kuwait — Kyrgyzstan — Laos — Lebanon — Malaysia — Maldives — Mongolia — Nepal — North Korea — Oman — Pakistan — Palestine — Philippines — Qatar — Russia — Saudi Arabia — Singapore — South Korea — Syria — Tajikistan — Thailand — Timor-Leste — Turkey — Turkmenistan — United Arab Emirates — Uzbekistan — Vietnam — Yemen

Europe: Albania — Austria — Belarus — Belgium — Bosnia and Herzegovina — Bulgaria — Channel Islands — Croatia — Czechia — Denmark — Estonia — Finland — France — Germany — Greece — Hungary — Iceland — Ireland — Isle of Man — Italy — Latvia — Lithuania — Moldova — Netherlands — North Macedonia — Norway — Poland — Portugal — Romania — Russia — Serbia — Slovenia — Spain — Sweden — Switzerland — Turkey — Ukraine — United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales) — Vatican City

North America: Canada — Costa Rica — Cuba — El Salvador — Grenada — Haiti — Jamaica — Mexico — Nicaragua — Panama — United States (Puerto Rico)

Oceania: Australia — Kiribati — Nauru — New Zealand — Papua New Guinea — Pitcairn Islands

South America:Argentina — Bolivia — Brazil — Chile (Rapa Nui) — Colombia — Ecuador — Falkland Islands (Malvinas)— Paraguay — Peru — Uruguay — Venezuela

Separatist or disputed:Abkhazia —Catalonia — Greenland — Kashmir — Kosovo — Kurdistan — Micronation — Northern Cyprus — Sealand — Somaliland — South Ossetia — Taiwan — Tibet — Transnistria — Western Sahara

Historical:Ancient Egypt — Belgian Congo — British Empire — Confederate States of America — East Germany — French colonial empire — German Empire — Holy Roman Empire — Imperial China — Kingdom of Hawaiʻi — Nazi Germany — Rhodesia — Roman Empire — Soviet Union — Vichy France — Yugoslavia