PUBLIC AI Index: MDE 31/ 012/2006

17 November 2006

Further Information on UA 302/06 (MDE 31/011/2006, 13 November 2006) Forcible return/Fear of torture

YEMEN Yonas Andemariam Habtemariam (m), Eritrean national

Yonas Andemariam Habtemariam was safely relocated from Yemen to a third country on 15 November.

He had been detained at Sana’a airport since October 2006 and was threatened with deportation back to Eritrea by the Yemeni authorities. Asylum seekers who have been returned to Eritrea in the past have been systematically detained and tortured or ill-treated upon arrival.

Yonas Andemariam Habtemariam was arrested in Eritrea in June 2005 after campaigning for the release of his father who had been detained by the Eritrean authorities reportedly because of his religious beliefs. Yonas was however able to escape from prison a month later and went to Sudan where he stayed for about a year. He then left Sudan for Yemen in October 2006 where he was held in a prison near Sana’a airport for 14 days, before being transferred to the airport awaiting deportation.

The research team sends many thanks to all those who sent appeals which Amnesty International believes contributed greatly to the safe resettlement of Yonas Andemariam Habtemariam. No further action is required from the UA Network.