U S State Department

Eritrea 2016 Human Rights Report U S State Department

Eritrea is a highly centralized, authoritarian regime under the control of President Isaias Afwerki. The People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), headed by the president, is the sole political party. There have been no elections since the country's independence from Ethiopia in 1993. Civilian authorities in the regime generally maintained effective control over most security forces. The three most important human rights abuses included the inability of citizens to choose their government in free and fair elections; detention without charge under harsh conditions that reportedly sometimes resulted in death; and forced participation in the country's national service program, routinely for periods of indefinite duration beyond the 18-month legal obligation.