HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS URGES EGYPT TO HALT DEPORTATION OF ERITREAN ASYLUM SEEKERS

19 June 2008

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour expressed serious concerns today about the recent deportation of Eritrean asylum seekers from Egypt to their home country and urged the Egyptian authorities to refrain from undertaking any further forced returns.

Ms. Arbour said she was “alarmed” by reports that some 700 Eritreans have been sent back in the past few days by the Egyptian authorities, and that more forced returns may be imminent.

"People who could well be at risk in their home country should never be sent back before their asylum claims have been properly addressed," Ms. Arbour said. "Egypt should respect its international obligations not to send home anyone who could face torture or other serious forms of ill treatment, as may well be the case with those who have apparently been deported in recent days," she added.

Ms. Arbour welcomed the Egyptian Government’s decision to grant staff of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) limited access to the asylum-seekers in order to determine their refugee status, and urged Egypt to halt "with immediate effect" any further deportation of Eritreans until their asylum status has been properly clarified.

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