A/HRC/32/47 III. Recent human rights developments A. Introduction 23. There have been several notable developments in Eritrea since the publication of the commission’s report in June 2015. In February 2016, at the request of the Government, a delegation of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) undertook a working-level technical assessment visit to Eritrea. In March 2016, the Government of Eritrea released four Djiboutian prisoners of war. In addition, a delegation of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs visited Eritrea. The President of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 751 (1992) and 1907 (2009) concerning Somalia and Eritrea has also been invited. 24. The OHCHR delegation visited community courts and interacted with officials and judges. It also visited local community projects, Sembel prison and the rehabilitation centre in Asmara. OHCHR noted that the visit was short and not conducted in circumstances that allowed for a full assessment of the situation of human rights. 25. A number of foreign journalists were also invited to Eritrea. The commission notes that Eritreans have some access to international news, satellite television and the Internet, particularly in Asmara. 26. The Government provided the commission with documentation on four pieces of legislation issued in May 2015. The commission has however received conflicting reports on whether the new legislation is actually in force. 27. Large numbers of Eritreans continue to flee the country. In 2015, 47,025 Eritreans applied for asylum in Europe, slightly higher than the number in 2014, more than double the number of applications made in 2013 and nearly four times the figure for 2012.2 B. Current human rights concerns 28. The commission did not review each and every human rights violation reported to it, but rather had the aim to apprise the Human Rights Council of developments, or lack thereof, with regard to patterns of the gravest violations. 29. The commission prioritized gathering information on human rights issues from those who had recently fled Eritrea. The evidence collected revealed that the serious human rights violations documented by the commission in its first report persist. Eritreans continue to be subjected to indefinite national service, arbitrary detention, torture, enforced disappearances, reprisals for the alleged conduct of family members, discrimination on religious and ethnic grounds, sexual and gender-based violence, and killings. In addition, many of those subjected to enforced disappearances in the past remain unaccounted for. 1. Right to participate in public affairs 30. The delegation of Eritrea participating in eighteenth session of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review stated that national elections would not be held until “the threats to national security and sovereignty had been eliminated”. The commission received no indication of plans to hold national elections. 2 6 See Eurostat, Asylum quarterly report, 3 March 2015.