Eritreans in danger - Amnesty
2003-08-12 11:07
Cairo - Amnesty International said on Tuesday it was worried about a reported Libyan plan to deport seven Eritrean army deserters to their country where they could face torture and execution without trial.
The human-rights watchdog said from Cairo: "They could face torture, which is routinely used by the military in Eritrea, and at least two of them - who had been previously detained in Eritrea for political reasons - -could face extrajudicial execution," .
"Libyan authorities should stop the return of these detainees to Eritrea," and allow them "immediate access to the protection of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees".
The seven men, aged in their late 20s and early 30s, deserted the Eritrean army at different times in 2002, fleeing first to Sudan and then to Libya, hoping to reach a country of asylum in Europe, Amnesty said.
"In Libya, they were arrested and subsequently convicted of illegal entry, but not released after their three-month sentences expired.
Other "illegal immigrants" from countries such as Ethiopia, Sudan and Morocco who had been detained with them have been released," said the watchdog's statement.