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Eritrea: Prisoners

Asked by Wendy MortonConservativeForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled Answered 7 May 2025UIN 48417

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made recent representations to his counterpart in Eritrea on releasing prisoners of conscience detained without trial.

Answered by Mr Hamish Falconer

We consistently raise the human rights situation with the Eritrean Government, most recently by way of a statement at the 58th Human Rights Council in February and also during a senior Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) official visit to Asmara in April. We continue to advocate for the end of arbitrary detentions, including detentions based on religion or belief. Eritrea is a priority country in the FCDO Annual Human Rights Report and we support the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Eritrea, voting in favour of his mandate renewal in July 2024. As we have stated at the Human Rights Council, all those who have been unjustly incarcerated must be released.

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