Societal discrimination continued against Roma and members of other ethnic and linguistic minorities. Small demonstrations and isolated incidents of xenophobic hate speech and violence accompanied the arrival of large numbers of asylum seekers from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia. Domestic abuse and other violence against women and children continued to be a problem. Other human rights problems included inadequate medical services in detention centers; poor sanitation in some prison cells; excessive delay in moving detainees from police holding cells to remand prisons; excessive delays in...

The leading human rights problems included police and military abuse of persons in custody; restrictions on freedoms of speech, assembly, and movement; and restrictions on trade union and collective bargaining rights as well as strict limitations on the ability of workers in certain sectors to strike. Other human rights problems included prison conditions, government corruption, violence and discrimination against women, sexual exploitation of children, and deep ethnic divisions. The government failed to prosecute or punish some security forces officials who committed abuses, but it...

The most significant human rights problems included harassment and intimidation of opposition members and supporters and journalists; alleged torture, beating, abuse, and mistreatment of detainees by security forces; and politically motivated trials. Other human rights problems included alleged arbitrary killings; harsh and at times life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention; detention without charge and lengthy pretrial detention; a weak, overburdened judiciary subject to political influence; infringement on citizens' privacy rights, including illegal searches;...

According to the June 5 report of the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) on Human Rights in Eritrea, which covered from 1991 to June 2015, the COI found "systematic, widespread, and gross human rights violations have been and are being committed by the Government of Eritrea." The COI also reported "the violations in the areas of extrajudicial executions, torture (including sexual torture), national service, and forced labor may constitute crimes against humanity." The COI's findings relied primarily on testimony from victims and witnesses (Eritrean refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, and other...

The principal human rights problems concerned harsh prison conditions; violence and discrimination against women, children, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons; and societal conflict and discrimination against indigenous populations. Additional human rights concerns included reported use of excessive force by security forces. The government took steps to investigate and prosecute officials who committed abuses. Nevertheless, many human rights organizations, including the governmental agency charged with overseeing and monitoring human rights, the National...

Repression and coercion markedly increased during the year against organizations and individuals involved in civil and political rights advocacy and public interest and ethnic minority issues. The crackdown on the legal community was particularly severe, as individual lawyers and law firms that handled cases the government deemed "sensitive" were targeted for harassment and detention, with hundreds of lawyers and law associates interrogated, investigated, and in many cases detained in secret locations for months without charges or access to attorneys or family members. Officials continued to...

The most significant human rights problems were excessive use of force by security forces, deficiencies in due process, and the suppression of civil liberties. Excessive use of force included unlawful killings and torture. Due process problems included the excessive use of preventative custody and pretrial detention, the use of military courts to try civilians, and trials involving hundreds of defendants in which authorities did not present evidence on an individual basis. Civil liberties problems included societal and government restrictions on freedoms of expression and the press, as well...

The most serious human rights problem was the government's abridgement of the right of citizens to choose or significantly influence their government. The government did so by suppressing the opposition and refusing to allow several opposition groups to form legally recognized political parties; harassing, abusing, and detaining government critics; denying the population access to independent sources of information; and restricting freedom of speech and assembly. Other human rights problems included the use of excessive force, harsh prison conditions, arbitrary arrest and prolonged pretrial...

The main human rights abuses were lack of independence in the judicial sector; restrictions on freedom of speech, press, assembly, and association; and corruption. Government regulatory bodies established under the 2013 communications law issued a series of sanctions, fines, and forced corrections and retractions, primarily against independent media and journalists. President Correa and his administration continued to engage in verbal and legal attacks against the media and civil society. Presidential decrees provided the government discretion to dissolve civil society organizations on broad...

The country's most significant human rights problems included instances of religious-focused vandalism and hate crimes, and rape and domestic violence against women. On February 14 and 15, a gunman shot five persons at a free-speech forum, killing one, and later shot and killed a volunteer guard at the Copenhagen Synagogue. Other human rights problems included insufficient health screenings and resources, especially for children, at the Ellebaek Detention Center for rejected asylum seekers and those pending decision; the fact that most police did not yet wear badges with identification...