USCIRF Commissioner Tony Perkins Calls for Leah Sharibu’s Freedom on Abduction Anniversary  

Washington, D.C. – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today marked the fourth anniversary of Leah Sharibu’s abduction at the hands of the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP). On February 19, 2018, 14-year-old Sharibu was kidnapped from her school in Northern Nigeria alongside 110 other girls. Despite ISWAP releasing most of the girls, Leah has remained in captivity for refusing to abandon her Christian faith and convert to Islam. 

“Four years ago, Leah Sharibu was forcibly taken from her family and loved ones,” said USCIRF Commissioner Tony Perkins who advocates for Sharibu as part of USCIRF’s Religious Prisoner of Conscience Project. “ISWAP must free Leah Sharibu so she can reunite with her family, resume her education, and live a life of dignity of which she is most deserving. Her resolve in the face of the unimaginable should motivate us to do all that we can to help her and all other young women facing similar, dire circumstances.” 

According to recent estimates, ISWAP is likely the largest militant Islamist group operating in northern Nigeria. It routinely violates Nigerian citizens’ rights to freedom of religion and belief, compels people to attend prayer, and implements harsh punishments justified on its singular interpretation of Islam. USCIRF has recommended that the U.S. Department of State redesignate ISWAP as an “entity of particular concern,” or EPC for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. 

“The United States should pressure the Nigerian government to secure the release of Leah Sharibu and other kidnapped girls and take proactive measures to make sure that no other generation is subjected to the same fate,” USCIRF Commissioner Perkins added. 

In its 2021 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the State Department redesignate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC. USCIRF was appalled when the State Department removed Nigeria from its designation as a CPC in November 2021 after doing so in December 2020. Additionally, USCIRF published a recent factsheet on religious freedom in Nigeria’s Kano State and an episode of the USCIRF Spotlight podcast on why redesignating Nigeria as a CPC is warranted.  

### 

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected]. 

USCIRF Mourns the Passing of Patriarch Abune Antonios

Washington, D.C. – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) mourns the passing of Patriarch Abune Antonios, the former leader of the Eritrean Orthodox Church. Patriarch Antonios died on February 9, 2022, at the age of 94 after spending a decade and a half under house arrest because of his religious beliefs and advocacy.  

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Patriarch Antonios. For 16 years, he was unable to leave his home or communicate freely with the outside world, all because he stood up for prisoners of conscience and resisted state demands to excommunicate members of his church,” said USCIRF Commissioner Jim Carr who advocated for Patriarch Antonios as part of the Religious Prisoners of Conscience (RPOC) Project.

In April 2004, Patriarch Abune Antonios was ordained head of the Eritrean Orthodox Church. However, after condemning government interference in church affairs and calling for the release of imprisoned Christians, Eritrean authorities removed him from his position in January 2006 and placed him under house arrest. In May 2007, the patriarch was forcibly disappeared from his residence and taken to an undisclosed location.  He was reportedly denied proper medical care throughout his custody.

“Eritrean authorities must be held accountable for the mistreatment of religious prisoners of conscience in their custody.” USCIRF Commissioner Carr added. “Detention until death on the basis of one’s religious beliefs or activity is absolutely unacceptable. The Eritrean government should be better than this.”

In its 2021 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the State Department redesignate Eritrea as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. Additionally, USCIRF’s August 2021 Eritrea Country Update noted positive steps the Eritrean government made to ease restrictions some religious communities as well as to release some religious prisoners of conscience; however, it also highlighted authorities’ continued exertion of complete control over religion and mandatory military service.

###

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].