Specific information relating to the treatment of members of the Eritrean Liberation Front-Revolutionary Council (ELF-RC) could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However the following information may be noteworthy.

Country Report s2002 and Human Rights Watch World Report 2003 both state that the ruling People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) does not allow any other political party to operate in Eritrea (Country Reports 31 Mar. 2003; HRW 2003, 31).

In addition to arrests made in September 2001, Country Reports 2002 points out "the Government arrested other individuals, many of them with known ties or perceived ties to political dissidents, and detained them without charge and without access to visitors at year's end" (31 Mar. 2003, n.d.). Human Rights Watch indicates that the arrested ("dozens"), included "a former consul general, journalists working for the government press, businessmen, the solicitor-general, local government administrators, and members of the families of people previously arrested" (ibid. 32). Amnesty International Report for 2002 corroborates the information provided by above-mentioned sources (AI 2002, 97).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Amnesty International (AI). 2002. Annual Report 2002. London: Amnesty International. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2002. 31 Marcha. 2003. United States Department of State. Washington, DC. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2002/18202.htm [Accessed 8 Apr. 2003]

Human Rights Watch (HRW). November 2002. Human Rights Watch World Report 2003. New York: Human Rights Watch.

Three oral sources consulted did not provide information on the requested subject.

Additional Sources Consulted

Africa Confidential

BBC News

Country Reports

Horn of Africa Bulletin

IRB Databases

Keesing's Record of World Events

New African

NEXIS

Resource Centre. Country File. Eritrea.

Internet sites including:

All Africa.com

Afronet

Amnesty International

Awate.com

Human Rights Internet

Human Rights Watch

Relief Web

Search engines including:

Google