The Special Rapporteur is mandated to document violations in Eritrea
\nGENEVA
\nEritrea is trying to cancel the mandate of a UN expert investigating alleged abuses, a document sent to the UN Human Rights Council showed, in a rare move that Western diplomats fear may set a precedent for states looking to escape scrutiny.
\nThe Special Rapporteur, a position currently held by Sudanese human rights lawyer Mohamed Abdelsalam Babiker, is mandated to document violations in Eritrea, where civil society groups such as Human Rights Watch say impunity is widespread.
\nIn a May report he described the situation as \u201ccritical,\u201d highlighting cases of arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and the use of lengthy national and military service terms that are driving thousands to flee.
\nEritrea\u2019s information ministry and its diplomatic mission in Geneva did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
\nEritrea, which has long opposed the mandate, sent a large delegation to champion its proposal at a UN meeting in Geneva on Monday and voiced opposition to investigations targeting individual countries\u2019 records.
\nStates like Sudan, Russia and Iran backed it while the EU and Britain were among those who opposed it in a polarized debate, diplomats said.
\nThe UN expert position was set up in 2012 by a group of African states and has been renewed annually by the Geneva-based council in an effort led recently by the European Union. But this year, Eritrea beat them to it and instead tabled a rival motion to discontinue the mandate, the document showed.
\nWhile states subject to UN investigations often lobby against them or try to dilute them, rights experts say there has never before been a proposal to end a mandate put before the council in its nearly 20-year history and worry it could embolden states looking to block accountability efforts. In 2023, Ethiopia tried to end a mandate early, before backing off.
\n\u201cThe EU recalls that the principles of sovereignty and non-interference in a state\u2019s internal affairs do not free states from their obligations under international human rights law,\u201d the EU delegate said in a statement shared with Reuters, arguing that Eritrea\u2019s lack of consent \u201cshould not be used to escape international scrutiny.\u201d
\nMany of the Geneva-based council\u2019s other probes are typically brought by Western countries, such as those on Russia and Sudan. Sometimes the evidence they gather is used by international prosecutors.
\nA vote is expected next month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Special Rapporteur is mandated to document violations in Eritrea GENEVA Eritrea is trying to cancel the mandate of a UN expert investigating alleged abuses, a document sent to the UN Human Rights Council showed, in a rare move that Western diplomats fear may set a precedent for states looking to escape scrutiny. The Special […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":486595,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-486585","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n