FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

U.S. Administration’s Religious Freedom Advocacy Exposed as Hypocrisy Amid Deafening Silence on Persecution of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 1, 2025 – The advocacy movement Justice For Ethiopian Orthodox Christians today issued a condemnation of the U.S. Administration’s glaring double standard in its global religious freedom policy. While the administration has publicly championed the cause of persecuted Christians worldwide, it maintains a deliberate and dangerous silence on the systematic atrocities being committed against the ancient Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC). This selective advocacy, the organization charges, is a politically motivated decision to protect a strategic ally and its evangelical leader, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.  

The Trump administration has repeatedly positioned itself as a global defender of faith, establishing initiatives like the Religious Liberty Commission and a task force to eradicate “anti-Christian bias”. President Trump has declared that “protecting religious freedom is one of my highest priorities” and that America will “always be a voice for victims of religious persecution everywhere”. Yet, this voice is conspicuously absent when it comes to Ethiopia, where Orthodox Christians are being massacred, their churches burned, and their clergy assassinated. The latest reports from the Oromia region paint a horrifying picture of this ongoing slaughter: in October 2025 alone, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church reported that more than 25 civilians, the majority identified as Christians, were massacred in the East Arsi Zone by unknown attackers.  

Justice For Ethiopian Orthodox Christians asserts this hypocrisy is rooted in two calculated political realities:

1. Strategic Interests Over Human Rights: The U.S. government views Ethiopia as a key strategic partner in the volatile Horn of Africa. This geopolitical alliance has led the administration to deprioritize human rights, effectively granting the Ethiopian government a pass on the widespread abuses occurring within its borders. Despite cutting aid at times, the administration’s overarching policy has been to preserve its relationship with the Ethiopian state, sacrificing the lives of Orthodox Christians for perceived strategic gains.  
2. Protecting an Evangelical Ally: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a self-proclaimed Pentecostal, has cultivated close ties with American evangelical circles. This includes a well-documented friendship with the late Senator James Inhofe, a prominent evangelical who was a staunch defender of Abiy’s government. The administration’s refusal to condemn the persecution appears to be a deliberate effort to shield a fellow evangelical leader from international scrutiny. This protection comes at the direct expense of the Orthodox faithful, who are being targeted by forces often enabled by, or directly linked to, Abiy’s government.  

The consequences of this policy are devastating. The Ethiopian government has been directly implicated in fueling the persecution. During the 2023 church crisis, Prime Minister Abiy’s administration openly sided with an illegitimate breakaway synod, and Oromia regional security forces used lethal force, killing peaceful Orthodox parishioners who were defending their church in the city of Shashamane. This is not mere negligence; it is active state complicity in the destruction of one of the world’s oldest Christian communities.  

The hypocrisy is staggering and shameful. The U.S. Administration cannot claim to be a champion of religious freedom while turning a blind eye to a state-sponsored campaign of terror against millions of Orthodox Christians. Protecting a political ally cannot justify ignoring massacres. True religious freedom advocacy is not a political tool to be deployed for favored groups; it is a universal principle that must be applied consistently and without prejudice. The blood of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians is on the hands of their persecutors, and the silence of their supposed defenders in Washington makes them complicit.

Justice For Ethiopian Orthodox Christians demands an immediate end to this double standard. We call on the U.S. Administration to:

• Publicly and unequivocally condemn the persecution of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Christians.
• Apply meaningful diplomatic and economic pressure, including targeted sanctions, on Ethiopian government officials and other actors who are responsible for or complicit in these human rights abuses.
• Insist on independent, international investigations into atrocities committed against the Orthodox community and hold perpetrators accountable.

The time for politically convenient silence is over. The U.S. must align its actions with its stated values and stand for justice for all persecuted Christians, not just those that fit a political agenda.

Media Contact:

info@justiceforethiopianorthodoxchristians.com