USCIRF Releases New Report on Eritrea’s Religious Freedom Violations

USCIRF Releases New Report on Eritrea’s Religious Freedom Violations

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)  released the following new report on religious freedom conditions in Eritrea:

Eritrea Country Update – This report provides an overview of religious freedom conditions in Eritrea and highlights recent developments. The country update evaluates the government of Isaias Afwerki and discusses U.S.-Eritrean diplomatic relations, which generally have been poor in recent years as well the specific religious groups Afwerki has persecuted, including the Jehovah’s Witnesses and other Christian faiths. The report notes that despite targeted sanctions on Eritrean government agencies and officials by the U.S. government, the Eritrean government continues to hold prisoners based on their religious beliefs and practices under incarceration for decades.

In its 2023 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State redesignate Eritrea as a “Country of Particular Concern,” or CPC, for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. In a February 2023 factsheet, USCIRF highlighted religious freedom concerns in Eritrea.

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].