Eritrea: Amnesty International"s new report lambasts Eritrean government

In its submission to the UN Human Rights Committee published on 30 January 2017, Amnesty International has lambasted the Eritrean government for not implementing international human rights standards. Freedom of religion is one of the issues covered by the report, alongside such issues as freedom from torture and ill-treatment, and freedom from servitude. The report states: "Thousands of people have been arrested for practicing a religion not recognised by the state. Others have been arrested for conscientious objection to military service on religious groups, for suspected links with opposition movements supported by particular religious groups and for opposing government interference in religious affairs. These arrests are violations of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. None of those so arrested were charged with a crime or taken to court." Yonas Dembele, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, comments: "The report by Amnesty International clearly points out the absence of freedom of religion in the country, albeit in general terms, depicting something of the challenges Christians are facing in the country. This confirms what World Watch Research has been reporting for many years, namely that Eritrea - currently ranking 10 with 82 points on Open Doors World Watch List 2017 - is one of the worst violators of freedom of religion."