The true human rights situation in Eritrea: the new UK Home Office Guidance as a political instrument for the prevention of migration

This research paper aims at documenting the true situation in Eritrea, in order to refute the credibility of the content and of some of the sources of the new Guidance on Eritrea issued by the UK Home Office (HO); and of the related policies that are being implemented in some other countries, such as Israel. The HO country of origin Guidance surprisingly claims that there are alleged signs of improvement inside Eritrea for potential returnees. It is argued in this paper that the reasons for this are entirely politically influenced, with the purpose of preventing migration. The paper then brings to light the current circumstances in the country – supported inter alia by the testimonies gathered by the author, and the new findings of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea- that would make the forcible return of the Eritrean asylum-seekers and refugees unlawful.