By TesfaNews,
Eritrea and Canada deny entry for UN Special rapporteurs to their respective countries citing legality and due process of their appointment.
Ms. Beedwantee Keetharuth, special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Eritrea, have been heard complaining on the media about Asmara’s refusal to let her in to the country inorder to assess the human rights situation in the country.
The Harper government, on the one hand , blocked the UN special rapporteur on Indigenous peoples from visiting Canada.
James Anaya, the special rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous peoples, says the federal government continues to ignore his year-old request to visit Canada to investigate the “human rights situation of Indigenous peoples.”
“I have communicated with the government of Canada to request its consent for me to conduct an official visit to the country to examine and report on the human rights situation of Indigenous peoples there,” writes Anaya, in the letter. “I initially made the request in February of 2012 and am still awaiting a response from the government.”
Speaking at the 53rd session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) in Banjul, Gambia, Beedwantee Keetharuth said that the Eritrean government has failed to cooperate as required by the UN Human Rights Council.
The Eritrean government described the appointment of the Special Rapporteur as politically motivated and rejected her mandate right and then.
Canada, as well, made it clear that it has issued “a standing invitation” to special rapporteurs that hold mandates from the UN Human Rights Council, but he can’t enter the country on an official visit without the formal consent of Ottawa that would include an agreement on dates and terms of the visit.
After being flagged “No Entry”, the vindictive Beedwantee Keetharuth later said she would use other unofficial means to undertake her Eritrea mission.
“In the meantime, I will engage with all others concerned by human rights in Eritrea, including those who consider themselves to be victims of alleged human rights violations [… refugees in neighboring countries], human rights defenders and other civil society actors,” she said.
Anaya on his part says he will find a way to meet with First Nations leaders through unofficial channels if the government continues to ignore his request.
“If I do not receive a positive response from the government in the coming months, I can explore ways of meeting with First Nations leaders from Canada outside the context of an official visit,” writes Anaya.
Special Rapporteur Keetharuth will present her first report on the human rights situation in Eritrea to the UN Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly in June 2013 solely based on questionable stories that she is about to compile from accounts of asylum-seekers that naturally lie of persecution in Eritrea seeking resettlement from that same UN.
However, she called on the Eritrean government to “consider the mandate of the Special Rapporteur as an opportunity to start a fresh and constructive dialogue on human rights issues that have been raised by the international community and other stakeholders”.
