Equatorial Guinea, a country under a totalitarian government, has a history of infringing on religious freedom dating back to the 1950s. The country is at it again using new legislation to forcefully close numerous churches and deny thousands the freedom to worship.

Six Pentecostal and evangelical churches were shut down by the government in September 2023 alone due to their failure to abide by registration regulations. During the legislation debate, the country’s senate said it was an effort to “protect the people” by opposing the “bad practices of cults and religious confessions.”

The small African country’s evangelical and Pentecostal churches were called to a meeting by the Ministry of Justice, Religious Affairs and Penitentiary Institutions on May 2, with instructions to establish an association akin to that of the nation's Catholic and Presbyterian churches. According to the ministry, there was just administrative need.

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The Confederation of Churches was subsequently founded on May 11 by a national committee made up of politicians and representatives from the majority of denominations.

The ministry said any church that is not a member of the confederation is not permitted to have services, and the new directive revokes the previously valid registration that had been allowing churches to function freely. Pastors are required to register and provide their credentials to the government. Churches were given nine days to comply with the directives to register and for pastors and churches to join the confederation.

“All leaders of churches must present a certificate of theology or religious studies from an internationally recognized institution of higher education, and the National University of Equatorial Guinea must issue an equivalent certificate for them,” read the directive.

Foreign religious representatives or authorities must obtain advance permission from the MJRAPI to lead or speak at religious activities, and they sometimes must provide the text of their remarks for MJRAPI approval in advance. The decree exempts the Catholic Church.

Some longstanding religious groups, such as Methodists, Muslims and those of the Baha’i faith, hold permanent presidential authorizations and are not required to renew their registrations with the MJRAPI. Catholic Masses remained a normal part of all major ceremonial functions in the country.

Within the country’s population of 1.2 million, 88% identify as Roman Catholic, 5% as Protestant and 2% as Muslim. The majority of Muslims are Sunni immigrants from neighboring West African nations. Together, the remaining 5% of the population practice animism (belief in the supernatural) the Baha'i faith, Judaism or other religions.

A religious analyst in the country who requested anonymity for fear of victimization said the new law violates freedom of worship and religion.

“Churches are being forced to conform to the government guide on worship and church rites. The Christian religion is not supposed to be coordinated in any ways except for the churches to work as God leads not as governments wants,” he said.

Numerous repressive acts and violations of religious freedom were discovered in the U.S.’ 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom in Equatorial Guinea. A 2011 Pew Research Center study issued in 2011 found similar issues with the sub-Saharan nation.

Although the nation's constitution guarantees religious freedom and declares that there is no official state religion, the Catholic Church and the Protestant Reformed Church of Equatorial Guinea are given preference by the government.

“These two religious organizations are the largest and the only ones that are exempt from having to register their organizations or activities with the Ministry of Justice, Religious Affairs and Penitentiary Institutions,” the report noted.

Ruben Maye Nsue, a former minister of justice, ambassador and ordained Pentecostal pastor, remained behind bars in Oveng Asem, a maximum security prison that also holds political prisoners. He was arrested in 2022 in response to a sermon he gave in which he denounced the “tyranny” of the state.

“The inconsistent enforcement of the law and the whole decree it self has affected us adversely,” one pastor, who did not want to be identified, told Religion Unplugged. “Registration regulations, especially the requirement that the clergy obtain a theological certificate from the national university is repressive,”

Calvin Manika is an award-winning international journalist based in Zimbabwe.