The Netherlands has decided not to force any asylum seeker from Eritrea to return home.
Minister for Immigration, Integration and Asylum Policy Gerd Leers informed the House of Representatives that asylum seekers from Eritrea who left without permission of the Eritrean authorities will be able to obtain an asylum residence permit.
The minister based his decision on the most recent information about Eritrea from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He, however, didn’t reveal the information that led to his decision not to return Eritrean asylum seekers.
Human rights organisations hold that there is a significant risk that if Eritrean asylum seekers are returned home, they will be tortured or otherwise ill-treated and detained without charge or trial in appalling conditions.
