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Eritrea: Metalor & Lufthansa accused of importing gold extracted under conditions of forced labour to Switzerland; incl. company responses
On 30 August 2017, Swiss national TV aired a major report detailing how huge amounts of raw gold extracted from Eritrea, under practices of forced labour and slavery, end up in Switzerland for the final process of refinery. The report indicates that the only Swiss company known to have been refining gold originating from Eritrea is the Neuchâtel-based Metalor. It also states that the country’s gold is transported by Lufthansa from Asmara to Frankfurt. We invited Metalor and Lufthansa to respond to the allegations. Their responses are included below.