Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Eritrea about the recent arrests and police raids on homes, schools and other facilities operated by people with religious beliefs and of the recent report by Open Doors which identifies a range of measures taken by the Eritrean security services in breach of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The UK remains committed to promoting and defending freedom of religious belief for individuals of all faiths and beliefs, including in Eritrea. Our Ambassador in Asmara raised the issue of arbitrary detentions of members of the Christian community, including the Pentecostal Church, with the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 20 May. It was also raised with the Minister of Information during the EU/Eritrea Article VIII discussions on 20 March. At the Universal Periodic Review of Eritrea in January we also called for the release of all those arbitrarily detained for political and religious reasons.