41. The institutional and organizational basis of the judiciary has been strengthened in line to
Proclamation 1/1991 that deals on the administration of justice. Accordingly, the court
system is also expanded and strengthened at the local levels. The community courts (so far
430 in number) operate with jurisdiction at a village or locality level. They form the most
reliable, accessible and practical part of the system. Regional Courts are present in all six
administrative regions and establish judicial justice and function as the second tier of the
judicial hierarchy. The majority of the regions also have a high court which has both first
instance appellate jurisdiction. The high court with a Last Appellate Division also sits in the
capital city and functions as the third tier of the judicial hierarchy.
42. Consequently, the supremacy and respect of the Law has been strengthened by maintaining
equality with non-discrimination as a major trend. Judicial bodies implement the laws to
prevent and punish criminals, establish safety and protect lives and property. During the
reporting period, A total of 432,563 criminal and civil violations (an average of 25,445 per
year) took place with a total of 304,000 (70.3%) being convicted in the due process of law
(an average of 17,882 per year) (Refer table below). The percentage of closed cases implies
that the remaining cases were acquitted and cancelled (42% criminal and 26% civil cases) as
they did not constitute crimes. This demonstrates that innocent people are free until proven
guilty or due to lack of evidence. Continuous effort is, thus, made to uphold the integrity of
the justice process. Moreover, individuals who abused their position or who violate the basic
legal procedures in this regard are brought to justice and punished.
Duration
1999/2015
Av/Year
Criminal
Civil
Cases
Closed % Closed Cases
Closed % Closed
102212
59166
58 330351 244834
74
6012
3480
19,432 14,402
Table: Comparison of Criminal and Civil Case
43. Lack of adequate knowledge of the contents of the Eritrean laws has always remained a
challenge. Hence, continuous efforts to address this problem are ongoing and have
contributed to maintaining judicial justice. As preparation for the full implementation of the
published National Codes, extensive campaign at all levels is also underway to popularize the
new National Codes, create a better understanding on the rights and responsibilities, the due
process of law and the procedures. The familiarization focuses on the national values and
norms of the society, the reality of the society, and unity in diversity, the wealth of customary
mechanisms in solving problems amicably and the legal development and international
instruments to which Eritrea is a state party. So far the following have been accomplished:
An extensive discussion and sensitization with all law enforcement agencies took place
for almost a week in collaboration with the Police Training Institute
Region level campaigns conducted for all members of regional assemblies, administrators
at various levels, all heads of sector representatives at various levels, leaders of the
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