Washington, DC – International Christian Concern (ICC) and the Ethiopian community in Washington DC will be holding another public protest demanding Saudi Arabia release 35 Ethiopian Christians arrested for praying at a private home on December 15. The protest will be held March 26, at 11 a.m. in front of the Saudi Arabian Embassy located at 601 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20037.
“The Saudis put us in the same cells with convicted murders. The convicted murders could hurt us and we are concerned about our safety. Please continue pressuring the Saudis to release us,” said one of the prisoners, speaking to ICC from Briman jail in Jeddah.
The prisoners have not yet been formally charged with any crime. The Saudi officials have referred to the Christians as ‘non-believers’ and ‘animals’ during interrogations.
“The Saudi Embassy and the Saudi government are not taking our demands seriously. Instead of releasing the innocent Ethiopians, the government of Saudi Arabia is providing us with different excuses to continue to keep them in jail,” said Kebadu Belachew, an Ethiopian-American human rights activist and one of the organizers of the rally.
ICC’s Jonathan Racho said, “The prisoners are telling us that their situation is getting worse due to lack of proper medical attention and healthy food. It is outrageous that the government of Saudi Arabia holds the Christians indefinitely. We urge our supporters to join us in the protest. We must put pressure on the Saudis to release the prisoners.”
Please sign this petition asking the Saudi Arabian government to release the Christian prisoners.
Call the Saudi Arabian Embassy in your country and ask them to release the prisoners.
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
For interviews, contact Jonathan Racho, Regional Manager for Africa: [email protected]