March 18, 2017
Statement of the Delegation of the State of Eritrea
to the 34th Session of the UNHRC in Response to the Oral Update of the Special Rapporteur
Mr. President,
My delegation does not wish to waste the time of this august body to indulge in acrimonious exchanges with the Special Rapporteur. The selective bias inherent in the so-called testimonies that she brandishes; the lack of professionalism in her overall approach; the political bias and agenda that have marred her recycled reports are these days too well known and acknowledged by a growing number of governments and neutral bodies. In this respect, we see no dividend in dwelling on her statement.
Last year alone, over 112,000 Eritreans in the Diaspora visited their homeland as part and parcel of their routine vacations and also to celebrate the country’s 25th Independence Anniversary. When the Special Rapporteur issued its vitriolic report on Eritrea on the basis of testimonies of some 250 or so asylum-seekers of dubious credibility, over 42,000 Eritreans wrote to her protesting against the unfounded and politically motivated vilification campaigns on their country.
