Swiss court: Eritrean vets can be expelled if asylum fails

By AP

A Swiss federal court has ruled that Eritrean asylum-seekers who completed military service in the East African country can legally be sent home if their asylum cases are rejected. The ruling could have sweeping implications for thousands of Eritreans who make up Switzerland's largest pool of asylum-seekers by nationality.

Eritrea's government has faced criticism by United Nations human rights investigators and other rights advocates over its harsh conscription laws.

In a summary of the Aug. 17 verdict made public Thursday, the federal administrative court in St. Gallen said that because Eritrean military veterans had completed their service — as opposed to deserters — they "won't necessarily expect to be summoned again for national service or punished criminally upon return to the country."

The case involved a woman from Eritrea who claimed that she had deserted. The court said she "could not make a plausible case" the she actually deserted, and it could only presume that she received a proper discharge.

The summary added: "After a thorough analysis, the court also concludes that Eritrea is not currently facing a situation of broad violence."

The ruling is final and cannot be appealed, the court said.

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