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afrol News, 12 July - International Eritrean human rights groups protests what they call the "Italian government's plan to the imminent deportation of Eritrean refugees." They remind the Italian government of the "very poor" human rights situation in Eritrea at this moment. In a letter to the Italian government, the Sweden-based Popular Movement for Democracy in Eritrea and the UK-based Eritreans for Human & Democratic Rights protest plans to forcibly repatriate Eritrean refugees under the given political conditions in the motherland. The refugees were "at risk of persecution in their home country," and repatriation therefore would violate the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. The Eritrean expatriate groups had learned that Eritrean refugees in southern Italy were currently "being held in detention centres where conditions are substandard." They added they hoped that "their living conditions would be improved very soon and that they would have access to friends and family members." The current human rights situation in Eritrea was described as "very poor at the moment," with reference to "various international agencies." The European Parliament, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other agencies had been expressing their concern on the deteriorating human rights situation in Eritrea, the groups said. It was to be remembered that Mr Antonio Bandini had left his ambassadorial post in Eritrea on the orders of the Eritrean foreign ministry last September, the groups said. Mr Bandini, who held the position of the European Union (EU) representative to Eritrea, had submitted on behalf of the EU a protest against the political arrests and the indefinite closure of the country's independent press. - In Eritrea, arbitrary arrests, disappearances and coercion have become so common that many are fleeing the country, the letter said. "Citizens whose views are different than that of the government are living in constant fear of being targeted as many before them have been victims of the State's terror campaign." The two groups said they believed the actions the Italian authorities are taking against Eritrean refugees were "inappropriate and against the resolution of the 1951 Refugee Convention." Therefore, they strongly protested against "the human rights breach and demand that the Italian government adheres to the provisions as stated in the resolution as soon as possible." Sources: Based on Eritrean
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