U.S. Department of State Human Rights Report 1998
The Constitution provides
for freedom of religion, including the right of conversion; although
the Government generally respects this right in practice, on occasion
local authorities disrupted religious services. There have been instances
of conflict among religious groups, most noticeably between Orthodox
Christians, Pentecostals, and Evangelicals. In most interreligious
disputes, the Government maintains neutrality and tries to be an impartial
arbitrator. However, in February, despite generally good relations
with the Government, Jehovah's Witnesses reported that regional officials
in Tigray disrupted religious services, which they termed illegal
meetings, and arrested and briefly detained some 50 believers. Authorities
in Tigray also sought to prevent Jehovah's Witnesses from proselytizing.
The Government decided that Jehovah's Witnesses of Eritrean origin,
who might face religious persecution in Eritrea, were not to be subject
to deportation. Unlike in past years, there were no complaints by
Pentecostals and Evangelicals that the police failed to protect them
adequately during instances of interreligious conflict.
Source: Country Reports
on Human Rights Practices for 1998, U.S. Department of State.
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