REFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS Thousands of Eritreans continued to flee the country. UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, registered 17,147 asylum-seekers in 44 countries between January and July alone. They faced serious human rights abuses while in transit and in destination countries. In one incident in May, Sudan deported hundreds of migrants to Eritrea after arresting them en route to the Libyan border. Eritreans also risked arbitrary detention, abduction, sexual abuse and ill-treatment on their way to Europe. INTERNATIONAL SCRUTINY The UN-mandated Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea submitted its findings to the UN Human Rights Council in June. It concluded that the Eritrean authorities were responsible for crimes against humanity committed since the country’s independence in 1991 including enslavement, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, torture, rape and murder. 1. Eritrea: Immediately and unconditionally release prisoners of conscience (News story, 21 June) ESTONIA Republic of Estonia Head of state: Kersti Kaljulaid (replaced Toomas Hendrik Ilves in October) Head of government: Jüri Ratas (replaced Taavi Rõivas in November) Amendments to the Citizenship Law aimed at reducing statelessness among children came into force in January, although it did not include those aged 16 to 18. The number of asylum applications remained low. On 1 January, amendments to the Citizenship Law came into force. These allow children born to stateless parents to acquire Estonian citizenship at birth automatically without application by a parent, as was required previously. They also allow children born in Estonia to hold citizenship of other countries until age 18. Stateless children aged under 15 residing in Estonia on 1 January 2016, and whose parents have lived in the country for at least five years, will also receive Estonian citizenship. The amendments did not include children aged 16 to 18 or those born outside the country to stateless residents of Estonia. Roma continued to suffer discrimination across a range of economic and social rights, including lack of equal access to education, adequate housing and health care. The failure of the government to collect and monitor disaggregated socio-economic data on Roma and other vulnerable groups hindered its ability to effectively address their situation. REFUGEES AND ASYLUM-SEEKERS The number of asylum applications remained low compared to elsewhere in the EU; approximately 130 were received in the first nine months of 2016. The European Commission criticized the government for rejecting relocation requests by asylum-seekers without providing substantiated reasons or on unjustified grounds. Concerns were also raised about the strict conditions families were required to meet before they could be considered for relocation under the EU relocation and resettlement scheme. By the end of the year, 66 people were relocated to Estonia. In March, the government approved new regulations allowing a 90km fence to be built along its eastern border with Russia. DISCRIMINATION – ETHNIC MINORITIES RIGHTS OF LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER AND INTERSEX PEOPLE As of December, 79,597 people resident in Estonia remained stateless – almost 6% of the population. The vast majority were Russian speakers. On 1 January, the Cohabitation Act came into force, allowing unmarried, including samesex, couples to register their cohabitation and have access to state benefits. Amnesty International Report 2016/17 155