Libya is giving Eritrea access to detained Eritrean migrants and asylum-seekers for their likely repatriation, violating their right to refuge, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Saturday.

In the past two weeks, Eritrean embassy officials have visited detention centres and coerced migrants into filling out forms thought to be for their deportation, the New York-based watchdog said in a report.

"Eritreans seeking asylum because of a fear of persecution at home have a right to confidentiality while their claims are pending," the report quoted HRW refugee policy director Bill Frelick as saying.

"In inviting Eritrean officials to meet -- and possibly intimidate -- them in detention, Libya is committing a serious breach of their asylum rights."

HRW also accused Libyan guards of beating migrants who refused to fill out the forms in some cases.
The UN refugee agency had asked host governments to refrain from forcibly returning Eritreans to their homeland due to fears they will be detained and tortured.

"Libya needs to adopt an asylum law to protect refugees," Frelick said.

"It should sign and ratify the 1951 Refugee Convention and formally recognize the UN refugee agency," he added.

Growing numbers of Eritreans are fleeing the east African country to evade a policy of indefinite military service imposed by the government and "pervasive arbitrary detention and torture," HRW said.
In November, a Libyan official told AFP that his country had a policy of massive repatriation of illegal migrants, without specifying about any nationalities.

(AFP)