Faith that overcomes fear: Christians in Eritrea face surveillance, violent raids and indefinite imprisonment

While the Eritrean government does recognise different religions, believers who convert from Islam or the Eritrean Orthodox Church risk familial rejection and social exclusion in addition to state persecution. Denominations that are known and acknowledged still face tight state control, with clergy appointments and church operations under constant monitoring. For roughly five consecutive reporting cycles, the country has held the concerningly high positions of 4, 5 or 6 on the World Watch List – an annual index of religious freedom that is produced by the not-for-profit organisation, Open Doors.

Conflict in Sudan, lawlessness in Libya, and deteriorating ties with Ethiopia aggravate the difficulties of life in Eritrea. For many young people, it is no longer tenable to stay in the country. Christians face a devastating dilemma: endure persecution and forced conscription at home, or flee through routes marked by trafficking, torture and danger. Here are ten facts about the state of persecution faced by Eritrean believers.

1

Religious freedom in Eritrea is dire. Only four religious groups are legally recognised: the Eritrean Orthodox Church, Sunni Islam, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church. All others—including Pentecostals, Baptists, Adventists, and Jehovah’s Witnesses—are banned. In 2024 alone, over 80 Christians were arrested in the first five months, with an estimated 350 imprisoned, often in inhumane conditions such as shipping containers or underground cells. No new religious registrations have been accepted since 2002.

2

Non-traditional Christian groups face the harshest repression. Denominations such as Evangelical, Pentecostal and Baptist churches, are unrecognized by the state. They endure raids, imprisonment, and systemic marginalization. Worship is banned, members are labelled foreign agents, and their gatherings criminalised. The Orthodox Church at times supports state efforts to suppress these groups, reinforcing their legal invisibility.

3

Christian converts and unregistered believers live in constant fear. A pervasive network of informants—often older women loyal to the ruling party—monitors religious activity. House churches, Bible studies, and unfamiliar visitors are swiftly reported, leading to raids and arrests. Converts from Islam face harsh rejection, violence, and social isolation. Those leaving the Orthodox Church are similarly branded traitors. Evangelicals are treated as heretics or foreign agents. Trust within communities is scarce; faith is practiced in secrecy.

4

Eritrea’s compulsory national service systems have grown even more repressive amid rising tensions, including potential for renewed conflict with Ethiopia. The government has intensified night raids in Asmara, Keren, Massawa, and other cities, dragging young people—including Christians—from their homes and forcing them into military camps.

5

Christian households are regularly raided, resulting in the confiscation of Bibles and religious materials, as well as believers being arrested. Government surveillance is constant, often continuing for weeks or months, before sweeping arrests are made of entire underground church cells. Even members of recognized churches are not immune. Daily life is heavily monitored—phone calls are tapped, internet access is limited, and a vast civilian network reports suspicious behaviour, especially religious activity.

6

Hundreds of Christians, belonging to unregistered denominations, face arbitrary arrest and enforced disappearance. Many are held incommunicado in severe conditions, including overcrowded metal shipping containers, where detainees endure torture, physical abuse, denial of medical care, and forced renunciation of faith.

7

Christian women in Eritrea face pressure from both government and society. Converts risk abduction, forced marriage, isolation, or expulsion from their families. Hundreds are held in detention, where rape and sexual violence are used as tools of persecution.

8

The daily life of Christian men is heavily surveyed, with phone calls monitored and neighbours recruited as informants. Eritrea remains one of the world’s most repressive environments for Christian men. Christians, particularly pastors and leaders, who are outside the state-recognized churches, risk arrest and indefinite detention. Many are imprisoned for decades without trial. They face indefinite military conscription; with harsh conditions, forced labour, and torture driving many to flee abroad. This male absence leaves church communities without leadership, and families stigmatized or impoverished. Released detainees are often forced back into military service.

9

Parents from non-traditional churches often lose custody of their children or face harassment from schools. Christian values are undermined through state propaganda, especially during youth military training. The derogatory term P’ent’ay is widely used to stigmatise evangelicals. Children of imprisoned Christians face bullying and exclusion.

10

In 2025 security forces confiscated dozens of Christian-owned properties, including house churches, schools, small businesses, and community centres, accusing congregations of operating “illegally” or being influenced by foreign agendas. State-controlled media has vilified independent Christian groups, branding them “agents of foreign destabilisation” to justify property seizures.