A/HRC/26/45 review in 2009 demonstrates a lack of goodwill and commitment to address the serious human rights situation in the country. 16. The Special Rapporteur noted positively that, in 2012, Eritrea submitted reports to the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, and in January 2014, Eritrea requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to deploy a working-level mission to the country. However, Eritrea has still not ratified the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, nor the Optional Protocol thereto, and the submission of several initial reports to human rights treaty bodies is still pending. No special procedures mandate holder has been invited to visit the country, despite numerous calls made during the first review and reiterated in the second one. 17. The Special Rapporteur takes note of Eritrea’s efforts to eradicate the widespread practice of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) as well as the 416 FGM/C-related cases brought before the courts across the country. 18. During the UPR, Eritrea highlighted the progress made towards achieving several of the Millennium Development Goals; however, it is extremely difficult to verify that assessment, as no independent actors have been able to cross-check the data provided by the Government. Furthermore, the Special Rapporteur is concerned about whether the Government policies aimed at achieving the Millennium Development Goals are in line with Eritrea’s obligations under international human rights law. The Special Rapporteur has requested information on the subject from the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Eritrea. 19. The Special Rapporteur encourages the Government of Eritrea to view the second UPR as a renewed opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights and to address the numerous human rights challenges highlighted during the interactive dialogue, by accepting the recommendations made in their entirety. B. Brief update on the situation of human rights in Eritrea 20. In her first report, the Special Rapporteur endeavoured to corroborate patterns of human rights violations through the gathering of first-hand information. She confirmed that violations of human rights in Eritrea included indefinite national service; arbitrary arrests and detention, including incommunicado detention; extrajudicial killings; torture; inhumane prison conditions; infringement to freedoms of movement, expression and opinion, assembly, association and religious belief; sexual and gender-based violence; and violations of children’s rights. Information gathered for the present report confirms that the abovementioned violations continue unabated. 21. Arbitrary arrests and incommunicado detentions were carried out in the aftermath of the attempted coup d’état on 21 January 2013, dubbed the “Forto incident”. Over 50 people, including public figures were arrested and detained, with no information as to their whereabouts, nor have they appeared before any court of law. 22. There is still no information regarding the 11 members of the G-15, nor the 10 independent journalists who were arrested in 2001. The Special Rapporteur reiterates her request for specific information on their whereabouts and their state of health, especially in the context where some of them may have died in custody. 23. While freedom of the press and the media has been repressed, an underground newspaper, The Echoes of Forto, has been in circulation in Asmara, since September 2013, the anniversary of the 2001 arrests of the journalists from the independent press. 5