African Human Rights Commission orders Eritrea to compensate Jehovah’s Witnesses after 26 years of unlawful detention

The three men were among the longest-serving religious prisoners of conscience on the African continent.

by Jack Owuor

Africa19 November 2025 - 09:30

In Summary

In a communication issued on November 4, 2025, the Commission urged Eritrea to “take measures to compensate the victim for the prejudice they suffered due to the unjustified prolonged detention, torture, agony and inability to make a living for 26 years.”
The decision follows a petition filed on behalf of Paulos Eyassu, Isaac Mogos, and Negede Teklemariam—three Eritrean Jehovah’s Witnesses arrested in 1994 for refusing military service on grounds of conscience and for declining to vote in the 1993 independence referendum.

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The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) has directed the State of Eritrea to compensate three Jehovah’s Witnesses who were illegally detained for 26 years, marking one of the strongest continental rebukes yet of the country’s long-standing religious persecution policies.

In a communication issued on November 4, 2025, the Commission urged Eritrea to “take measures to compensate the victim for the prejudice they suffered due to the unjustified prolonged detention, torture, agony and inability to make a living for 26 years.”

The decision follows a petition filed on behalf of Paulos Eyassu, Isaac Mogos, and Negede Teklemariam—three Eritrean Jehovah’s Witnesses arrested in 1994 for refusing military service on grounds of conscience and for declining to vote in the 1993 independence referendum.

The three men were among the longest-serving religious prisoners of conscience on the African continent. For more than two decades, they were held without charge, trial, legal representation, or access to their families.

Their case has come to symbolize the Eritrean government’s harsh treatment of citizens who refuse compulsory military service, which in Eritrea functions as an indefinite national service program widely criticized by human rights bodies.

The Commission’s ruling comes 31 years after the Eritrean government issued a decree revoking the citizenship of Jehovah’s Witnesses, a move that effectively rendered thousands stateless.

The decree was based on the group’s conscientious objection to military service and refusal to participate in the referendum that formalized Eritrea’s independence from Ethiopia.

Since then, Jehovah’s Witnesses have faced systemic discrimination, including denial of employment, education, business licenses, and national identity documents—restrictions that have made many of them “invisible under the law.”

Human rights observers say that while Eritrea claims to maintain religious tolerance, only four faith groups are officially recognized.

Jehovah’s Witnesses fall outside this list and have been subject to waves of arbitrary arrests and prolonged detentions.

Rights groups have repeatedly accused Eritrea of holding detainees in inhumane conditions, including shipping containers, underground cells, and remote military camps.

“For over three decades, Jehovah’s Witnesses in Eritrea have endured systemic discrimination and statelessness simply for living according to their conscience,” said Noah Munyao, Secretary General of the African Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

He called on the Eritrean government to restore their citizenship and “uphold the basic human rights and dignity of all its people.”

The ACHPR ruling aligns with findings of the 2025 Religious Freedom Report, which criticized Eritrea for criminalizing religious activities of minority groups and maintaining one of the most restrictive environments for freedom of belief globally.

The report noted that conditions “remain critically poor” under the country’s authoritarian political system, where unrecognized religious groups are frequently targeted.

Although Eritrea has released small groups of religious prisoners in recent years—including several Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2021 and 2023—dozens remain behind bars.

According to the African Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 64 adherents are currently imprisoned, including 14 aged over 60.

International human rights organisations say the ACHPR decision adds new pressure on Eritrea ahead of upcoming continental reviews of its human rights commitments.

The ruling also strengthens calls from the global community of Jehovah’s Witnesses for the release of all remaining detainees, the restoration of citizenship to those stripped of nationality, and compliance with African and international human rights norms.

While Eritrea has not responded publicly to the Commission’s directive, human rights advocates hope the decision will set a precedent for accountability in a country where judicial recourse is extremely limited.