Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea has expressed concern over the curtailment of church activities in Eritrea and the arrest and detention of members of the Orthodox and Christian congregations.

On 12 June 2019, the Eritrean authorities ordered the seizure of all health centres managed by the Catholic Church in Eritrea. The seizure is believed to be in response to a pastoral letter issued on 29 April in which Eritrea’s four Catholic bishops called on the authorities to adopt a comprehensive truth and reconciliation plan to promote dialogue and strengthen peacebuilding, and urged the authorities to implement reforms.

The Special Rapporteur has urged the Eritrean Government to allow the Eritrean people to exercise their right to freedom of religion or belief and to release those who have been imprisoned for their religious beliefs.

Ireland strongly condemns all forms of persecution on the basis of religion or belief, irrespective of where they occur or who the victims are.   We are committed to promoting freedom of thought, conscience and religion, as well as the rights of persons belonging to religious minorities.  This commitment to promoting freedom of religion or belief is reaffirmed in the Global Island: Ireland’s Foreign Policy for a Changing World.

Ireland consistently raises the issues of intolerance and advocates for inclusive societies at the UN’s Human Rights Council, including during the Council’s Universal Periodic Review of the human rights records of UN Member States. We consistently support EU-led resolutions on freedom of religion or belief, most recently at the 40th session of the Human Rights Council in March 2019 and the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly in November 2018.

We are also members of the International Contact Group on Freedom of Religion or Belief, a cross-regional and informal network which aims to encourage information sharing and cooperation between Governments to discuss joint advocacy strategies in the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief internationally.

Within the EU, Ireland works with partners to address persecution on the basis of religion or belief, as well as that experienced by religious minorities. We played a key role in the adoption of EU Guidelines on Freedom of Religion or Belief during our Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2013.   The current EU Action Plan for Human Rights and Democracy 2015-2019 includes an explicit reference to the promotion of freedom of religion or belief, and we will continue to work to ensure that freedom of religion or belief is addressed within the framework of the EU’s external human rights policy.

Together with our EU partners, we remain strongly committed to addressing the human rights situation in Eritrea. In line with Article 8 of the Cotonou agreement, the EU and Member States representatives accredited to Eritrea regularly discuss political issues of mutual interest, notably human rights and migration. The EU Special Representative for the Horn of Africa, whose task it is to actively contribute to regional and international efforts to achieve lasting peace and security in the region, and Eamon Gilmore, in his capacity as the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, have visited Eritrea for discussions with senior Government officials.

My Department will continue to monitor the situation in Eritrea, including through Ireland’s Embassy in Nairobi, and in cooperation with the EU Delegation in Asmara.