Overview

• Eritrea tabled a resolution at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva to end the mandate created in 2012 for investigating its rights record.
• Special Rapporteur Mohamed Abdelsalam Babiker has described Eritrea’s situation as critical, citing arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and indefinite national service.
• Eritrean authorities have repeatedly denied access to the Special Rapporteur and remain the only state to refuse visits by UN independent human rights experts.
• The proposal divided council members, with Sudan, Russia and Iran backing Eritrea’s motion and the EU, Britain and human rights groups warning it risks undermining accountability.
• A vote on the renewal or termination of the mandate is scheduled for next month, carrying implications for future UN scrutiny of state abuses.