Post by Michael on Apr 4, 2004 5:46:22 GMT -5
Christians subject to wave of arrests in Eritrea -2/4/04
Eritrean authorities have raided the private homes of Christians, arresting and jailing adults and children who were praying and reading the Bible together according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
Kelete, a lay leader in the Rema Church in the capital Asmara, was arrested in his home with his wife, six children and his father-in-law, reports news agency Compass Direct.
The nine Christians were having family devotions together in the evening when, without warning, the police raided the home and put them all under arrest. After spending the night at a nearby police station, the family was transferred to the Adi Abeto prison outside Asmara.
The following evening another Rema Church leader was arrested with his wife and five children and taken to Police Station No. 5. The entire family was sent to the same prison the following day. The church leader was charged with trying to “start a new religion”.
An official at the police station reportedly remarked that President Isaias Afwerki had ordered the police and military to arrest any individuals and groups not belonging to Eritrea’s four ‘official’ religions (Orthodox, Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran and Muslim).
In another arrest, ten believers from the Full Gospel Church in Asmara, meeting in a home in the Aba Shwale district of Asmara, were taken to jail.
According to Compass Direct, all remain in prison except for an elderly lady hosting the group, who was ordered to pay a fine of 500 Nakfa (£20, locally more than half a month’s salary) for holding an illegal meeting for worship in her home.
In mid February, 51 Christians from Asmara’s Hallelujah Church were arrested. 46 remain under incommunicado detention at either the Adi Abeto or Mai Serwa military prisons. For the first time, criminal charges and fines were levied against members of unauthorised churches.
All of Eritrea’s independent Protestant denominations were closed by government order on May 22 2002 and their congregations are now forbidden to hold church meetings, even in private homes. This is the first time time that families have been penalised for worshipping together in their homes. At least 385 Protestant Christians are confirmed jailed and several have been subjected to severe torture for refusing to recant their faith. Some have been imprisoned for nearly two years.
On March 5 during the ceremonial installation of the new patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church, President Afwerki accused several religious groups of having been duped by foreigners who sought to “distract from the unity of the Eritrean people and distort the true meaning of religion.” He added that such “futile efforts” would not be tolerated by his government. Subsequently on March 18, police arrested 20 members of the Kale Hiwot Church in Assab as they attended a home group meeting. Compass Direct also reports that on the following day the security services began to monitor the Sunday school meetings of a group of young adults from the Orthodox Church and their young priest whom they accused of conducting ‘illegal activities’. Then on March 19 police arrested Yona Haile, an Eritrean Christian singer, accusing him of activities contrary to government policies.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) says it has worked with David Drew MP (Labour, Stroud) to table two Parliamentary questions on the recent wave of arrests.
CSW also recently took part in a protest outside the Eritrean Embassy and plans another such protest on the anniversary of the government order closing the independent Protestant churches.
Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of CSW, said: “These latest arrests in Eritrea show the government to be acting against universal standards of human rights and religious freedom. Arresting whole families simply for worshipping in the privacy of their own homes is an outrage which must not be tolerated by the international community.
“CSW will continue to work for the freedom of these innocent believers and to get this discriminatory government edict overturned.”
The Eritrean Christian Fellowship in Europe has called on the President to end the persecution which has overtaken so many Eritrean Christians.
In a petition signed by representatives from across Europe, they write: “You yourself have on many occasions attested that Eritrea’s biggest asset is the unity of Eritreans. Actions such as the current purge against Eritrean Christians grossly undermines this asset, inflicting widespread damage on the fabric of the society, more so than any enemy from within or outside the country.”
Eritrean authorities have raided the private homes of Christians, arresting and jailing adults and children who were praying and reading the Bible together according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
Kelete, a lay leader in the Rema Church in the capital Asmara, was arrested in his home with his wife, six children and his father-in-law, reports news agency Compass Direct.
The nine Christians were having family devotions together in the evening when, without warning, the police raided the home and put them all under arrest. After spending the night at a nearby police station, the family was transferred to the Adi Abeto prison outside Asmara.
The following evening another Rema Church leader was arrested with his wife and five children and taken to Police Station No. 5. The entire family was sent to the same prison the following day. The church leader was charged with trying to “start a new religion”.
An official at the police station reportedly remarked that President Isaias Afwerki had ordered the police and military to arrest any individuals and groups not belonging to Eritrea’s four ‘official’ religions (Orthodox, Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran and Muslim).
In another arrest, ten believers from the Full Gospel Church in Asmara, meeting in a home in the Aba Shwale district of Asmara, were taken to jail.
According to Compass Direct, all remain in prison except for an elderly lady hosting the group, who was ordered to pay a fine of 500 Nakfa (£20, locally more than half a month’s salary) for holding an illegal meeting for worship in her home.
In mid February, 51 Christians from Asmara’s Hallelujah Church were arrested. 46 remain under incommunicado detention at either the Adi Abeto or Mai Serwa military prisons. For the first time, criminal charges and fines were levied against members of unauthorised churches.
All of Eritrea’s independent Protestant denominations were closed by government order on May 22 2002 and their congregations are now forbidden to hold church meetings, even in private homes. This is the first time time that families have been penalised for worshipping together in their homes. At least 385 Protestant Christians are confirmed jailed and several have been subjected to severe torture for refusing to recant their faith. Some have been imprisoned for nearly two years.
On March 5 during the ceremonial installation of the new patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church, President Afwerki accused several religious groups of having been duped by foreigners who sought to “distract from the unity of the Eritrean people and distort the true meaning of religion.” He added that such “futile efforts” would not be tolerated by his government. Subsequently on March 18, police arrested 20 members of the Kale Hiwot Church in Assab as they attended a home group meeting. Compass Direct also reports that on the following day the security services began to monitor the Sunday school meetings of a group of young adults from the Orthodox Church and their young priest whom they accused of conducting ‘illegal activities’. Then on March 19 police arrested Yona Haile, an Eritrean Christian singer, accusing him of activities contrary to government policies.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) says it has worked with David Drew MP (Labour, Stroud) to table two Parliamentary questions on the recent wave of arrests.
CSW also recently took part in a protest outside the Eritrean Embassy and plans another such protest on the anniversary of the government order closing the independent Protestant churches.
Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of CSW, said: “These latest arrests in Eritrea show the government to be acting against universal standards of human rights and religious freedom. Arresting whole families simply for worshipping in the privacy of their own homes is an outrage which must not be tolerated by the international community.
“CSW will continue to work for the freedom of these innocent believers and to get this discriminatory government edict overturned.”
The Eritrean Christian Fellowship in Europe has called on the President to end the persecution which has overtaken so many Eritrean Christians.
In a petition signed by representatives from across Europe, they write: “You yourself have on many occasions attested that Eritrea’s biggest asset is the unity of Eritreans. Actions such as the current purge against Eritrean Christians grossly undermines this asset, inflicting widespread damage on the fabric of the society, more so than any enemy from within or outside the country.”