On July 14, Israel reportedly transferred 14 Eritrean asylum seekers, who had signed on the dotted line, from the Saharonim detention center near the Egyptian border to Tel Aviv International airport. From there they flew via Istanbul to Eritrea, with the help of the Eritrean Ambassador to Israel.
Israel says they are now safely back in the habds of the Eritrean government. Since 2004, its appalling human rights record has driven hundreds of thousands of Eritreans to escape their country. Eritrea's abuses -including life-long military service, torture, enforced disappearances and religious persecution, to list just a few - are such that four out of every five Eritrean asylum seekers worldwide are recognized as refugees or given protected status.
But not Eritrean asylum seekers in Israel.
