United Nations, Sha'ban 22, 1435, Jun 20, 2014, SPA -- A U.N. human rights investigator said Thursday that 4,000 Eritreans flee the country every month, almost double from a year ago. U.N. special rapporteur for Eritrea Sheila Keetharuth told reporters in Geneva that Eritreans are desperate to escape the abuse of a government that forces men and women to serve for an indefinite number of years in the army. She said that the government also arbitrarily detains people and punishes them with impunity in secret detention centers. Keetharuth said that the human rights situation appears to be further deteriorating despite government claims of progress toward six of the U.N.'s eight anti-poverty goals. "The situation leaves a desolate landscape of people fleeing," Keetharuth said, because "the national service equals forced labor." --SPA 15:28 LOCAL TIME 12:28 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w