There are several thousand political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in Eritrean prisons. They have been often arbitrarily snatched from the streets, their work places, homes or place of worship and even from wedding ceremonies.

Currently there are more than 2000 Protestant Christians in prison. Hundreds of asylum seekers who were deported by the Malta and the Libyan governments in 2002 and 2004, are in prison. Thousands of youths have been arrested on suspicion of evading military conscription and are still detained in secret detention places, at Galeloa hard labour prison camps, Wie detention centre, Nakura and elsewhere. A dozen prisoners at Adi Abeto were killed by the guards on 4 November 2004 and a further 161 detainees were killed at W'ie detention centre 10th June 2005.

There have been strong condemnations by the international community and by human rights activists across the world. Despite protests there has been no positive response from the Eritrean government. This page provides access to resolutions, appeals and letters that have urged the Eritrean President to release all political prisoners or to bring them to justice.