The UN Commission of Inquiry found atrocities had been committed since the country gained independence from Ethiopia in 1991 and are continuing but the Eritrean government has dismissed the report as laughable.
The UN findings are damning.
Mike Smith is the Australian diplomat who led the Commission of Inquiry.
"The Commission has concluded that Eritrean officials have committed crimes against humanity, the crimes of enslavement, imprisonment, enforced disappearance, torture, persecution, rape, murder and other inhumane acts have been committed as part of a widespread and systematic campaign against the civilian population since 1991."
The Commission has found as many as 400,000 people have been enslaved over the past 25 years under Eritrea's system of indefinite national service.
"The issues relating to Eritrea's military / national service programs include their arbitrary and indefinite duration, the use of conscripts as forced labor including manual labor, the inhumane conditions of service, rape and torture often associated with service and their devastating impact on family life and freedom of choice for the individuals."
The UN's refugee agency says Eritrea's poor treatment of its own people has motivated many thousands to flee the country, with many bound for Europe.
But the Eritrean government says the report is deeply flawed - not least because the investigators didn't speak to anyone in Eritrea.
Government spokesman Yemane Gebreab says, "Well this is really laughable. There is no basis to the claims of the commission of inquiry. I think what it will lead to, if it leads to anything, is the loss of any credibility for the Human Rights Council and the Commission of Inquiry."
Mike Smith acknowledges his report relies on interviews with Eritreans living in other countries but says that's because his investigators were not allowed into Eritrea.
The country recently celebrated 25 years since its independence from Ethiopia and these Eritreans says life in the country isn't as portrayed by the UN report.
"Just to be here and see what the change has happened since then and how much the country's grown, it's a really good thing."
"It's tremendous, amazing because it is the value of the blood that we have paid for the independence despite all the trouble." "I'm free, free, freedom."
"Because of the dead soldiers of Eritrea, we have independence and we are living free."
The UN Human Rights Council will debate the report later this month.
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