Its leader, Isaias Afwerki, an intellectual turned guerrilla fighter turned president, was once considered one of the smartest and most charismatic rebels in the world. During Eritrea’s war for independence from Ethiopia two decades ago, Mr. Isaias brought Christians and Muslims, nomads and farmers, and men and women together in the trenches; he even oversaw underground tampon factories for his female fighters.

These days, though, many Eritrean analysts question his leadership. Mr. Isaias’s “stubborn refusal to modify his repressive rule has put the country in this position,” said Dan Connell, an American journalist who knows Mr. Isaias personally and has written several books on Eritrea.

Mr. Connell said he had been hearing stories of fear and repression for years. “Denied a chance to express themselves at home, Eritreans continue to vote with their feet, which is as strong a confirmation of the commission’s findings as any,” he said Wednesday.

Mike Smith, the chairman of the United Nations panel, said that the report found that the abuses inflicted by the government were “a major impetus” for the exodus of Eritreans: More than 47,000 applied for asylum in Europe last year.

The three-member panel of inquiry urged the Security Council to recognize the human rights deprivations in Eritrea as a serious threat to international peace and security and to refer the allegations in the 94-page report to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. The panel also called for travel bans against those accused of the crimes and human rights abuses, and the freezing of their financial assets.