URGENT ACTION

Eritrea: Fear of torture / Incommunicado detention/Arbitrary killings: Thousands of people held at Adi Abeto army prison

PUBLIC AI Index: AFR 64/008/2004
9 November 2004

UA 301/04 Fear of torture / Incommunicado detention / Arbitrary
killings

ERITREA Thousands of people held at Adi Abeto army prison

Thousands of people arrested on suspicion of evading military conscription and
held at Adi Abeto army prison are thought to be at serious risk of torture and
ill-treatment. At least a dozen prisoners have reportedly been shot dead and
many more were wounded following a disturbance at the prison.

On 4 November Eritrean security forces in the capital, Asmara, indiscriminately
arrested thousands of youths and others suspected of evading military
conscription. The arrests took place in the streets, shops and offices, at
roadblocks and in homes.

Those arrested were taken to Adi Abeto army prison just outside Asmara.
Conditions in this military holding centre are harsh, with severe overcrowding,
little food or sanitation. Many detainees have reportedly been forced to sleep
outside in the very cold weather without blankets or shoes. Prisoners have no
access either to their families or to lawyers.

Towards midnight on 4 November, a prison wall was apparently pushed over by
some prisoners, possibly in an escape attempt. Soldiers opened fire and shot
dead a number of the prisoners, wounding many more. On 8 November, the Minister
of Information said that two prisoners had been killed. Other sources claim at
least a dozen people were killed, and that bodies were buried without being
returned to their families. Those wounded were taken to hospital and held
incommunicado under military guard.

BACKGROUND
National service for 18 months, including six months’ military service, is
compulsory in Eritrea for men and women aged 18 to 40 years. Since the war with
Ethiopia in 1998-2000, national service has become full military service and
has been extended indefinitely. Those who completed national service and
pre-independence fighters are subject to recall and reserve duties. There is no
exemption for conscientious objectors.

Many young people have tried to evade military service and thousands have fled
the country or deserted after being conscripted. The usual punishment for
evading or escaping from military service is torture, by beatings and being
tied in painful contorted positions for days, and indefinite detention without
charge or trial. Hundreds of Eritreans who fled the country were forcibly
returned by Malta in 2002 and by Libya in July 2004. They were arrested on
arrival back in Eritrea, reportedly tortured and sent to a secret prison on the
main Dahlak island, where most are still detained incommunicado.

The UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement
Officials state that firearms should only be used against escaping prisoners
"if other means remain ineffective" (article 4) and that officials shall
exercise restraint and *minimize damage and injury, and respect and preserve
human life" (article 5(b)).