ICC Note: 442 Eritreans, 6 of whom were refugees, were deported from Sudan by the authorities in May 2016. According to the Human Rights Watch, this is against international law which states that asylum seekers must have their applications considered before deportation and they may not be sent anywhere that they will face significant persecution. In Eritrea, all citizens under the age of 50 must serve in the military for an indefinite amount of time and anyone that flees the country is considered a deserter, punishable by hard labor or imprisonment and torture. This is what these Eritrean asylum seekers are being sent back to when deported from Sudan and the UNHCR considers it persecution. Many of these Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers are Christians fleeing the intense persecution they face in Eritrea.

06/01/2016, Sudan (AllAfrica) – Sudanese authorities deported at least 442 Eritreans, including 6 registered refugees, in May of 2016, a Human Rights Watch report said Monday.

“Sudan is arresting and forcing Eritreans back into the hands of a repressive government without allowing refugees to seek protection,” said Gerry Simpson, senior refugee researcher and advocate at Human Rights Watch. “Sudan should be working with the UN refugee agency to protect these people, not send them back to face abuse.”

International law says asylum seekers must be granted the right to apply for asylum and have their cases considered before deportation. It also forbids countered from deporting asylum seekers to anywhere where they face a real threat of torture, ill-treatment, or risk to their life.

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