Eritrea: A prison which situated in Gelalo, Southern Red Sea Zone, near Assab port which was known to house up to 5,000 prisoners and where Eritrean soldiers would be sent for running afoul of their government; and another prison in Juffa, on the outskirts of Keren, which was considered a modern prison and was three stories high, with its main prison being underground
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 14 July 2003 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ERT41690.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Eritrea: A prison which situated in Gelalo, Southern Red Sea Zone, near Assab port which was known to house up to 5,000 prisoners and where Eritrean soldiers would be sent for running afoul of their government; and another prison in Juffa, on the outskirts of Keren, which was considered a modern prison and was three stories high, with its main prison being underground, 14 July 2003, ERT41690.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3f7d4d91e.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Specific information on a prison situated in Gelalo, Southern Red Sea Zone, and another prison in Juffa on the outskirts of Keren, could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, the following information may be of interest.
Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRW) mentions that 74 Eritrean soldiers were detained in the Assab military prison (7 May 2003), near the southern port of Assab (HRW 14 Apr. 2003), for over a year and "subjected to severe beatings, threats and abuse for refusing to deny their Pentecostal beliefs and return to the Orthodox Church" (ibid. 7 May 2003). Human Rights Without Frontiers also mentions a "Maiserwa Military Prison near Keren," described as "Muslim-dominated town 55 miles northwest of Asmara" (ibid. 14 Apr. 2003).
Information posted on Shaebia, the Website of the ruling (People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) (7 July 2003), indicated that Juffa is a village in the town of Keren, "one of the five major secondary towns in Eritrea with a population of 121,000" located in the Zoba Anseba region (Shaebia 23 July 2002).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF) (Brussels]. 7 May 2003. Willy Fautré. "Eritrea: Eritrea Arrests, Conscripts more Protestant Christians." (NEXIS)
_____. 14 April 2003. Willy Fautré. "Eritrea: Eritrea Jails 170 Protestants." (NEXIS)
Shaebia Organization. 7 July 2003. "Shaebia Home." Additional Sources Consulted
Africa Confidential
BBC News
Country Reports
Horn of Africa Bulletin
IRB Databases
Keesing's Record of World Events
New African
NEXIS
Resource Centre country fileEritrea
Internet sites including:
Afronet
All Africa.com
Amnesty International
Awate.com
Ecoi.net
Human Rights Internet
Human Rights Watch
Relief Web
United Kingdom. Country Information and Policy Unit
Search engines including:
Google