Ethiopia: Update to Response to Information Request ETH11415 of 2 September 1992 on the treatment of Pentecostal Church members

The following information was obtained by the Research Directorate during a 1 September 1998 telephone interview with the director for humanitarian support of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada in Mississaugua, Ontario. The director has traveled to Ethiopia once every year since 1984 to oversee development projects sponsored by the Pentecostal Church. His last visit to Ethiopia took place in January 1998.

The director stated that it is difficult to provide a general statement on the treatment of Pentecostals in Ethiopia. He said that knowing the exact locality of the individual is essential to provide a more assured answer concerning his or her treatment as a Pentecostal. 

He reported that the situation of Pentecostal church members has improved since the fall of the communist regime of Mengistu and described the attitude of the authorities and the civil society towards them as "relatively open". However, he mentioned that there are still pockets of intolerance towards Pentecostals in some areas of the country but could not specify which ones.  The director also said that the Pentecostal community is quite large in Ethiopia with at least 50,000 members grouped in the five denominations of the church. It is present in the capital, Addis Ababa, and in the southern and northern parts of the country. It has been in existence in Ethiopia for at least 35 years.

The following information was obtained by the Research Directorate during a 1 September 1998 telephone interview with a Pentecostal church field representative in Ethiopia who recently returned. The field representative has been working in Ethiopia since 1992 and lives there permanently.

She stated that the main threat to Pentecostals comes from the Orthodox church which used to be the state religion under the communist regime of  Mengistu. Although the overall situation of Pentecostals is improving, they can be subject to mistreatment by Orthodox members in certain parts of the country, mainly in the North where the Orthodox members form a large community. The field representative added however that the governmental and law enforcement authorities offer real protection to the Pentecostals. She personally witnessed police intervention against and imprisonment of Orthodox members who mistreated Pentecostals. The government is also working on changing the law on cults in order to allow the free expression of all religious practices and beliefs currently in existence in Ethiopia. The field representative reported that Pentecostals number over 50,000 people in Ethiopia. They have a college in Addis Ababa where they  teach the bible, with extensions in the North and South of the country.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

References

Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, Mississaugua, Ont. 1 September 1998. Telephone interview with the director of humanitarian support.

_____, St Alberts, Alberta. 1 September 1998. Telephone interview with a visiting field representative.

Additional Sources Consulted

Africa Confidential [London]. 1996-1998.

African Human Rights Newsletter [Banjul, Gambia]. 1996-1998.

Africa Research Bulletin: Political Series [London]. 1996-1998.

CSIS Africa Notes [Washington, DC]. 1996-1998.

Ethiopia: A Country Study. 1993. Edited by Thomas P. Ofcansky and Laverle Berry.  Washington, DC: Library of Congress.

Ethiopian Review [Los Angeles]. 1996-1997.

Horn of Africa Bulletin [Uppsala, Sweden]. 1996-1998.

Jeune Afrique [Paris].1997-1998.

Electronic sources: IRB Databases, Global News Bank,  Internet, REFWORLD, World News Connection (WNC).