HRC58: Oral statement during enhanced ID on Eritrea

Item 2: Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on the situation of human rights in Eritrea

Speaker: Claire Denman

Thank you Mr President,

CSW thanks the esteemed panel, including Dr Babiker and Rev Ghebrehiwet, for their remarks.

We wish to highlight further violations of freedom of religion or belief, targeting young people and minors.

On 1 November 2024, four teenage¹ Jehovah’s Witnesses who did not contribute towards a political fund because political neutrality is core to their belief, were arrested at school. At time of writing, they remain in Mai Serwa Prison.

In early December, Eritrean security police raided a house where 27 secondary school students aged between 14 and 16 had gathered for prayer and worship. They were held at a police station for several days, then transferred to Mai Serwa, where they too remain.

Furthermore, around 50 of the 103 students arrested in April 2023 while recording worship music for YouTube remain in Mai Serwa, despite belonging to the Evangelical Lutheran Church, one of three permitted denominations.

We urge Eritrea to release all prisoners of conscience immediately and without precondition.

We also reiterate our call for the creation of an international judicial mechanism to hold identified perpetrators of human rights violations in Eritrea and transnationally to account.

Thank you