security forces arrested 42 Ethiopian Christians at a prayer gathering in Jeddah on Thursday. The
location of the detained Christians is unknown.
On December 15, Saudi police and security officers raided an evening prayer meeting at the home of
an Ethiopian Christian in the Al-Safa district of Jeddah. Those attending the service were reportedly
beaten and threatened before being arrested.
³Security officials broke [into] the house and captured« beat and threatened them for death« They
divided the men and the women and they are torturing them [in prison],´ an Ethiopian and Eritrean
Christian immigrant community living in Europe wrote in an urgent appeal for help to the ambassadors
of European embassies in Riyadh on Friday.
³Saudi Arabian officials have arrested Christians in the past but it is unprecedented for them to arrest
42 Christians at one time,´ a church leader in Jeddah, who asked not to be named for security
reasons, told ICC. ³We are particularly concerned about the children of the detained Christians.´
Two Ethiopian fellowships in Saudi Arabia informed ICC that they will temporarily postpone services
until the situation calms. Christians in Saudi Arabia, most of who enter the country as foreign workers,
are not allowed to practice their faith openly. Saudi police have been known to raid private worship
gatherings in homes, arrest and deport congregants, and confiscate Christian materials, including
Bibles.
Aidan Clay, ICC Regional Manager for the Middle East, said, ³Though not permitting a single church
building where Christians can worship in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi government goes even further to
assault the religious freedoms of its citizens and foreign workers by hunting for and arresting
Christians who attend services in the privacy of their own homes. As a signatory to the UN Convention
against Torture, we urge Saudi Arabia to end the abuse that the Ethiopian Christians have reportedly
suffered in prison and to ensure their immediate release.´
Call the Saudi Arabian Embassy in your country to express your concerns:
United States: (+1) 202 342 3800
Canada: (+1) 613 237 4100
United Kingdom: (+44) 207 9173-000
Australia: (+61) 2 6250 7000
Germany: (+49) 30 88 92 50
France: (+33) 1 56 79 4000
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