November 14, 2015
CODIFICATION OF THE PENAL CODE OF THE STATE OF ERITREA
2015
The Government of Eritrea mandated the Ministry of Justice to draft a Penal Code for the State of Eritrea. The Ministry, to which the drafting and codification of laws is entrusted under Article 2(4)(5) of Legal Notice 14/1993, commenced the drafting process by assembling a team of international experts in the field of criminal law to work in tandem with a national Law Reform Committee composed of Eritrean legal professionals. The Law Reform Committee was instructed to prepare a draft code that was concise, accessible and consistent with the values and aspirations of the Eritrean people.
Countless meetings, correspondences, and studies of both customary law and practice in Eritrea and the experience of other nations culminated in the production of a preliminary draft penal code. Following the submission of the draft, the Ministry of Justice convened the principal stakeholders engaged in the administration of the criminal justice system in order to solicit comments and suggestions on the draft document.
This was followed up with a series of meetings involving Judges, Public Prosecutors, attorneys, law lecturers, police officials and other legal professionals before being presented for discussion and input at various consultative meetings.
As with all systems of law, this penal code will be amended and updated from time to time to be reflected in the society at large. But there can be little doubt that it provides a solid foundation for ensuring a secure, stable and peaceful Eritrea.
Fawzia Hashim
Minister of Justice
15 May 2015
