Swiss court denies Eritrean military trainee veterans asylum

A Swiss court has rejected the plea of Eritrean military trainees’ asylum seekers, ruling that they have completed their military service and can be sent home from Switzerland.

Eritreans are the biggest group of asylum seekers in Switzerland, with nearly 14,500 citizens in the asylum process as of the end of July, government data showed. Nearly 9,000 of them have won temporary protection or refugee status.

The United Nations generally considers fleeing Eritreans to be refugees rather than economic migrants, after a U.N. human rights investigation found that 300,000-400,000 people had been “enslaved” in indeterminate military service and that top Eritrean officials should be tried for crimes against humanity.

Eritreans who have performed their military service do not in general have to reckon with renewed inscription or with punishment on their return to their home country.

Those affected are thus not threatened with treatment that violates human rights.

Eritrea says the U.N.’s allegations of human rights violations are biased and based on false allegations and dismissed allegations of crimes against humanity as “laughable”.

In the summary of its verdict released on Thursday, the Swiss Federal Administrative Court said Eritreans who had completed their military service could be sent home.

“Eritreans who have performed their military service do not in general have to reckon with renewed inscription or with punishment on their return to their home country. Those affected are thus not threatened with treatment that violates human rights,” the court summary said.

This was also true for Eritreans who had lived abroad for years, provided they had settled their situation with Eritrean authorities by paying a 2 percent income tax and signing a “letter of regret”.