A/HRC/44/23 treatment of detainees. She also reiterates her prior recommendations to the Government regarding basic due process measures for those in custody (A/HRC/41/53, para. 23). 30. In early April 2020, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the Special Rapporteur urged the authorities to release those held without legal basis and lowrisk offenders because of the risk of the disease spreading inside the country’s overcrowded prison system. However, at the time of writing, the authorities have not yet implemented this measure. 31. The Special Rapporteur encourages the Government to continue working with its international partners to implement the recommendations on national justice and law enforcement reform accepted during the third universal periodic review cycle. 4 She also encourages the Government to set up an independent national mechanism, such as a national human rights institution, to report on and follow-up on recommendations accepted during the universal periodic review, as well as to promote and protect human rights, in compliance with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles). B. Benchmark 2: demonstrated commitment to introducing reforms to the national/military service 32. The open-ended national/military service remains in place in Eritrea. Last year, in the context of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Sawa military camp, the Eritrean authorities referred to upcoming reforms in the duration of the national/military service. The Eritrean authorities also announced a new remuneration scheme and an increase in the salaries of the civil service and of new conscripts. The Special Rapporteur has, however, found no indication of an improvement in conditions compared to previous years (A/HRC/41/53, paras. 28–29). She has also found no indication of a reduction in the duration of the national/military service for those who have already served more than 18 months, or any changes regarding exemptions from conscription. 33. In April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, various international appeals were made to the Eritrean authorities to release students at the Sawa military camp and allow them to return home to avoid the spread of the disease. However, the authorities did not heed the appeals. 34. As in previous years, the national service remains one of the main drivers of migration from Eritrea. According to various sources, in the second half of 2019, national/military service conscripts represented approximately 30 to 40 per cent of Eritreans crossing into Ethiopia.5 While many of those fleeing are young men, older recruits also desert from national service duties. 6 Additionally, minors continue to leave the country to avoid military conscription. 7 The country’s top athletes are also forced to take part in the national service and, over the years, many have sought asylum abroad to escape indefinite conscription. According to reports, in October 2019, four Eritrean football players sought asylum in Uganda during the Council of East and Central Africa Football Association Under-20 Challenge Cup and, in December, seven more players sought asylum in Uganda during the Council’s Senior Challenge Cup. 35. Over the reporting period, the Eritrean authorities have justified the national/military service programme, stating that demobilization can begin only once job opportunities are created for conscripts. They have also referred to the tensions with the Ethiopian Tigray region as a reason to maintain the national/military service. There are however immediate measures that the authorities can take to improve the conditions for conscripts. 4 5 6 7 See A/HRC/41/14, recommendations contained in paragraphs 131.151, 131.163–131.164 and 131.170–131.175. This is a conservative estimate. Several sources indicated that the percentage was higher. During the latter part of 2019, the number of older recruits deserting from national service duties reportedly increased. In early 2020, some sources reported that male family members in their late 50s and early 60s had recently been called back to national service duties. See paragraph 69 below. Several persons interviewed had paid smugglers to get children in their families out of the country, in order to avoid mandatory conscription. 7