Eritrean activists take EU to court

Eritrean activists have sued the European Union, demanding it stop funding a project which they say uses forced labour.

National service recruits were set to be used and the Foundation Human Rights for Eritreans (FHRE) says conscripts are “trapped for an indefinite period”.

The group, which is based in the Netherlands, accused the EU of failing to conduct adequate checks before it provided more than $85m (£70m) to finance a road linking Eritrea with Ethiopia.

The European Commission said its actions were guided by the rule of law.

Eritrea has complained that the lawsuit, filed in Amsterdam, is part of a demonisation campaign by its opponents.

The UN has described the system of indefinite conscription in Eritrea as slavery.

source: BBC