Is apostasy illegal in Eritrea?
Criminal offense
In Eritrea, while there are no legal restrictions on leaving Sunni Islam, members of unrecognised religions face arrest, detention, and torture, and non-religious individuals are persecuted.
Eritrea is one of 15 countries classified “Criminal offense” for apostasy — 50% of the 30 with data. (Also searched as leaving a religion.)
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Apostasy in Islam by country
- Last checked
- 7 July 2026
- How it was classified
- Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.
Nearby countries
- Yemen
- Death penalty possible Apostasy in Yemen can carry the death penalty under Islamic law.
- Sudan
- Death penalty possible Sudan had a death penalty for apostasy until 2020, with notable cases including Mahmoud Mohammed Taha and Meriam Ibrahim, though the law was officially repealed.
- Saudi Arabia
- Death penalty possible Saudi Arabia enforces the death penalty for apostasy under Islamic law, with active prosecution and cases such as Hamza Kashgari and Ahmad Al Shamri.
- Somalia
- Death penalty possible Apostasy is punishable by death in Somalia, with reports of executions by Islamist groups and local mobs, though not through formal court proceedings.
- Qatar
- Death penalty possible Apostasy in Qatar is punishable by death under Sharia law, with specific criminalization of proselytizing Muslims to other religions.
- Kuwait
- Criminal offense Kuwait's family law allows Muslim courts to prosecute apostasy with penalties including annulment of marriage and property confiscation.
Other laws in Eritrea
- Holocaust Denial
- No specific law
- Conversion Therapy
- No ban
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.