STATEMENT OF THE RELIGOUS LIBERTY COMMISSION
OF THE
WORLD EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE

For Immediate Release

*Wave of Protests in Arab World Endangers Christians in Eritrea*
While Tunisia was witnessing a remarkable uprising in December 2010, Eritrea
renewed the crackdown on Christians. While dozens of Christians were arrested
for praying together in Eritrea ¢â‚¬â„¢s capital Asmara, at least two Christians died
elsewhere in separate prisons after being refused medical treatment.
 ¢â‚¬Å“That a fresh onslaught on Christians in Eritrea began around the time of the
Jasmine Revolution, which forced Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to
resign, is not a coincidence, ¢â‚¬  said WEA-RLC Executive Director Godfrey
Yogarajah.  ¢â‚¬Å“It reflects Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki ¢â‚¬â„¢s fear that the
ripples of such a movement in the region can threaten its own anti-people
regime, ¢â‚¬  he said.
With progressive people in Yemen and Egypt following suit, the ongoing wave of
revolution in the Arab world  ¢â‚¬“ which reminds one of similar revolutions in the
post-Soviet Eastern Europe  ¢â‚¬“ has now reached dangerously close to Eritrea. Even
neighboring Sudan is now set to split into a largely Arabised Muslim nation of
the north and a predominantly Christian south.  ¢â‚¬Å“This may prompt President Isaias
to tighten its grip on power leading to an even more severe persecution of
political dissidents and those from unregistered Protestant Christian groups, ¢â‚¬ 
warned Yogarajah.
A typical iron-fist ruler, the Eritrean president has not allowed the citizens
to mobilize themselves around any issue independent of its tight regulation
regime  ¢â‚¬“ be it a political ideology or a noble religious cause.
It is estimated that between 1,500 and 3,000 Christians are languishing in
Eritrea ¢â‚¬â„¢s notorious prisons. And a recent US Embassy cable released by /Wiki
Leaks confirmed that torture and inhuman treatment of prisoners  ¢â‚¬“ mainly
political dissidents but also including Protestant Christians  ¢â‚¬“ remain rampant
in this small country on the Horn of Africa./
<http://www.wikileaks.ch/cable/2008/11/08ASMARA546.html>
WEA-RLC strongly decries the bashing of unregistered Christian and other
peaceful religious groups by the Eritrean government due to the alleged fear
that such independent associations can one day become a threat to its survival.
Since 2002, Eritrea has banned religious groups other than the four recognized
denominations  ¢â‚¬“ the Orthodox Church of Eritrea; Sunni Islam; the Roman Catholic
Church; and the Evangelical Church of Eritrea (Lutheran).
The Eritrean regime has restricted civil rights of its citizens under the
pretext of a sustained threat from Ethiopia  ¢â‚¬“ with which it fought a war from
1998 to 2000 and lost 70,000 lives.  ¢â‚¬Å“But it is clear that the regime merely
seeks to sustain power by not allowing the people to express their political
will, ¢â‚¬  said Yogarajah.
Around half of the 5 million people in Eritrea are Christian, and a majority of
the rest are Muslim. Though surely not a follower, President Isaias is
paradoxically a member of the Orthodox Church of Eritrea.
******
For further information please contact Godfrey Yogarajah, Executive Director, at
[email protected], or visit http://www.worldevangelicals.org/commissions/rlc/.
The Religious Liberty Commission is monitoring the religious liberty situation
in more than 100 nations, defending persecuted Christians, informing the global
church, challenging the Church to pray (www.idop.org) and giving all possible
assistance to those who are suffering. The Commission also makes fact finding
trips and meets with governments and ambassadors speaking up for the suffering
brothers and sisters. At the United Nations the Commission reports about the
situation and arranges special hearings with Christians from countries under
pressure.