We consistently raise human rights with the Eritrean government, including religious freedoms. We advocate for the end of discriminatory detentions based on religion or belief, as we have stated at the UN Human Rights Council. We call for all those unjustly incarcerated to be released. The UK's Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea raised human rights during her most recent visit to Eritrea in April 2025 and the UK supports the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Eritrea, voting in favour of his mandate renewal in July 2025.

We welcome the recent release of at least 60 Christians, as well as people from other faith groups. The UK Government, along with partners in the international community, takes every opportunity to voice our concern about arbitrary arrests and detentions in Eritrea, and have called for the release of those arrested and detained on the basis of religion. Over the past year, our Ambassador in Asmara has raised arbitrary detentions of members of the Christian community, as well as members of non-registered religious groups - most recently with the Minister of Information on 7 August. We will continue to seek opportunities to raise these cases in our engagements.

We remain concerned about the human rights record of the Government of Eritrea. We have raised these concerns consistently, most recently during the interactive dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 16 June 2017. One of the issues highlighted was that of arbitrary detentions, including those detained on the basis of their religious belief. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office also joined a recent campaign calling for the release of Patriarch Antonios after 10 years imprisonment in Eritrea.