Eritrea is ruled by President Isaias Afewerki, who won independence from Ethiopia in 1991. He became a dictator, repressing soldiers then turning on religious dissenters and critics within the party. Today the Eritrean regime tolerates no dissent of any kind. There is no free media, no university, and even the ruling party - renamed the People’s Front for Freedom and Democracy - has not held a party conference for years. Tens of thousands of young Eritreans have fled the country, escaping across the border to Ethiopia or Sudan to face a difficult and uncertain future. Others have attempted to reach Europe, some of them drowning in the Mediterranean Sea on smuggler ships. Eritrea’s 6 million people live under a regime that has earned a reputation as the most repressive in Africa. Exiled human-rights group, Release Eritrea, reports that 1,000+ Christians are currently in detention. The group bases its tally on phone calls to friends and colleagues in the country.