The United Nations experts have called on Ethiopia to immediately cease the deportation of Eritreans and arbitrary detention of Eritrean refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. In a statement, they condemned what they referred to as the collective expulsion of hundreds of Eritreans by Ethiopia at the end of June.

This act, they say, is in direct violation of international law, which prohibits any form of collective expulsion. The UN experts noted that the principle of non-refoulement guarantees that no one should be returned to a country where they will face abuse or punishment. This is according to international human rights law.

Ethiopia’s official Human Rights Commission reported that 200 Eritreans were forced to be deported on June 24. However, the Ethiopian Refugee and Returnee Service countered this statement, saying that they were not refugees or asylum seekers.

But the UN experts clarified that according to several credible sources, the group did include both registered and unregistered refugees and asylum seekers. Eritrea has been subjecting its population to repression, including forced labour and conscription, and has imposed harsh restrictions on freedom of expression and religion, resulting in many Eritreans fleeing their country.

Ethiopia and Eritrea have been historical adversaries, though Eritrean troops fought alongside their Ethiopian counterparts and allied militias during the two-year conflict in Tigray. In November last year, the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan forces signed an agreement to end the hostilities.

The United Nations experts have urged Ethiopia to ensure that all those who are being deported are afforded due process and individual risk assessment to determine the potential danger of torture and enforced disappearance.

They have also called on the government to ensure that each individual is provided access to legal aid and other forms of protection upon return. It is the responsibility of Ethiopia to ensure that no one is subjected to refoulement and that the principle of non-refoulement is upheld in accordance with international human rights law.