- Source column 1
"Breaking the News for Compassionate Professionals"
- Source column 2
Tuesday, 28 March 2006 (07:59 UTC)
- Source column 1, spans 2 columns
BosNewsLife is an Internet news agency covering stories on Christians and Jews living in difficult circumstances for whatever reason, including persecution, as well as other hard hitting news stories from around the world
Rights Groups Unite Against "Religious Repression" in Eritrea (BosNewsLife) | Blasts in Ethiopia capital kill one, injure several | One dead, 15 hurt in Ethiopian capital blasts | Addis Ababa hit by fatal blasts | U.S. military deaths in Afghanistan | Bombs and Blogs in Addis Ababa | East Africa: Regional Leaders Hope to Fix Ethio-Eritrea Dispute (AllAfrica.com) | Eritrea: President Holds Talks With Cuban Official (AllAfrica.com) | Eritrea: Installation of Electricity Lines Underway in Haikota (AllAfrica.com) | Eritrea: Vitamin 'A' Vaccine to Be Given in Central Region (AllAfrica.com) | Kenya Airways to start flights to Eritrea in May (Yahoo! India News) |
Eritrea's Flag
Time in ASMARA 11:59:59 March 28, 2006
Weather in ASMARA
Weather is Updated Every 2 Hours
[External image reference] Click to Enlarge
Exchange Rates
Euro Japanese Yen British Pound U.S. Dollar Argentine Peso Australian Dollar Bahrain Dinar Botswana Pula Brazilian Real Brunei Dollar Canadian Dollar Chilean Peso Chinese Yuan Colombian Peso Cyprus Pound Czech Koruna Danish Krone Hungarian Forint Icelandic Krona Indian Rupee Indonesian Rupiah Iranian Rial Israeli New Sheqel Korean Won Kuwaiti Dinar Libyan Dinar Malaysian Ringgit Maltese Lira Mauritian Rupee Mexican Peso Nepalese Rupee New Zealand Dollar Norwegian Krone Omani Rial Pakistan Rupee Polish Zloty Qatar Riyal Saudi Arabian Riyal Singapore Dollar Slovenian Tolar South African Rand Sri Lanka Rupee Swedish Krona Swiss Franc Thai Baht Trinidad & Tobago Dollar U.A.E. Dirham Venezuelan Bolivar
Euro Japanese Yen British Pound U.S. Dollar Argentine Peso Australian Dollar Bahrain Dinar Botswana Pula Brazilian Real Brunei Dollar Canadian Dollar Chilean Peso Chinese Yuan Colombian Peso Cyprus Pound Czech Koruna Danish Krone Hungarian Forint Icelandic Krona Indian Rupee Indonesian Rupiah Iranian Rial Israeli New Sheqel Korean Won Kuwaiti Dinar Libyan Dinar Malaysian Ringgit Maltese Lira Mauritian Rupee Mexican Peso Nepalese Rupee New Zealand Dollar Norwegian Krone Omani Rial Pakistan Rupee Polish Zloty Qatar Riyal Saudi Arabian Riyal Singapore Dollar Slovenian Tolar South African Rand Sri Lanka Rupee Swedish Krona Swiss Franc Thai Baht Trinidad & Tobago Dollar U.A.E. Dirham Venezuelan Bolivar
Amount
Result
Exchange Rates Updated Every 2 Hours
RSS
Please help us to uncover the hidden stories for just $2.49 / month. Click here to Subscribe
Advertise Here
BosNewsLife exclusive coverage in Burma, Laos & Thailand now available in pictures and radio stories. Please Contact us for more details.
news updated around the clock - click on the running headlines to read more
- Source column 1
Africa
- Source column 2
Americas
- Source column 3
Asia/Pacific
- Source column 4
CIS (ex-USSR)
- Source column 5
Europe
- Source column 6
Middle East
Front Page > Africa > Eritrea > Article
Rights Groups Unite Against "Religious Repression" in Eritrea
Monday, 27 March 2006 (15 hours ago)
By BosNewsLife News Center
- Source column 1
A woman clutches her prayer book at St. Mary's Church Amsara, Eritrea. Many Eritrean women lost sons and daughters in the war with Ethiopia.
- Source column 2
ASMARA, ERITREA (BosNewsLife)-- Several key Christian human rights groups have launched a united campaign against what they see as "widespread religious repression" in the Eastern African nation of Eritrea where they claim at least 1,700 Christians are detained for their faith.
A petition supported by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), Open Doors, Release International and Release Eritrea will be handed to the Eritrean Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Negasse Sengal, BosNewsLife learned Monday, March 27.
In the petition they express "grave concern at the restriction of religious freedom imposed on Christians in Eritrea and in particular the harassment, detention and physical abuse in custody of Christians not belonging to the Orthodox, Catholic or Lutheran churches."
The organizations said they "are particularly concerned about the current practice by those in authority of requiring detainees to sign statements agreeing to stop practising their Christian faith, in order to gain their freedom." The human rights groups, which investigate the plight of persecuted Christians, also condemn decree issued in May 2002 which outlawed all Christian actiities that did not take place in the official Orthodox, Evangelical Lutheran or Catholic churches.
"This led to a series of arrests and it is currently estimated that some 1,700 people are detained for their faith," CSW explained in a statement to BosNewsLife. However CSW claimed that "even the authorized churches are not immune from persecution," as "three Orthodox priests, Dr Futsum Gebrenegus, Dr Tekleab Menghisteab and the Reverend Gebremedhin Gebregiorgis, are still in prison after being arrested in November 2004."
PATRIARCH REMOVED
In addition the Orthodox Patriarch, Abune Antonios, was forced out of office in January this year and reportedly placed under house arrest, apparently in retaliation for his outspoken criticism of the government’s interference in church matters.
Christians in the military are also jailed for the possession of a Bible and there is evidence of Christians being sent to "the most dangerous positions during times of war in a bid to both test their loyalty to the government and to eliminate them," CSW claimed. It did not specify how it had obtained the evidence.
The Eritrean authorities have denied the existence of persecution in the country saying that "no groups or persons are persecuted" in Eritrea for their beliefs or religion and that people were free to worship according to their wish.
However CSW's Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said the "persecution of the church in Eritrea has increased dramatically over the last few years." He stressed that "nearly two thousand Christians are now in detention simply for refusing to abandon their faith" in Christ. "This petition is part of a concerted campaign to raise religious freedom issues with the government and we would encourage all those who support religious freedom to sign it,” Thomas added.
CONTRAINER CHRISTIANS
In a reaction Berhane Asmelash, the Director of Release-Eritrea which represents Eritrean Christians, said the campaign against religious persecution shows that "although the government of Eritrea might want the world to forget the persecuted church of Eritrea, this imitative will be a loud and clear indication that that is not going to be the case'.
Release International's UK Director, Colin King, stressed the campaign was an effort not to forget imprisoned Christians including those "being crammed into a steel shipping container without light or sanitation. Roasted by day, frozen by night in the African desert." He said the actions were "beyond our imagination. But for some Christians in Eritrea this is their reality – to be locked away and tortured just for praying and reading their Bible."
The Chief Executive Officer of Open Doors UK and Ireland stressed his organization believes the campaign "is both a justice issue and a spiritual issue, and our actions need to be backed up with prayer." (With BosNewsLife Research and reports from Eritrea).
PURCHASE THIS ARTICLE with the rights to PUBLISH and DISTRIBUTE. Click here.
Copyright 2006 BosNewsLife. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without our prior written consent. Publishers and Broadcasters please check our Republish policy.
Please help us to uncover the hidden stories for just $2.49 / month. Click here to Subscribe
Meet Our Sponsors: Anti Depressants | Bad Credit Loans | Bibles | Business Loans | Car Insurance | Career & Employment | Cholestrol Medication | Christian Travel | Computers | Diet Pills | Gifts | Gospel Music | Hair Health | Healthcare | Home Security | Hotels | Insomnia | Insurance | Internet | Loan Calculator | Marketing | Marriage | Migraine | Pain Relief | Personal Finance | Real Estate | Skin Care | Technology | Travel | Vitamins | Weight Loss
Search
Comments
Write Your Comments to the Article
Please help us to uncover the hidden stories for just $2.49 / month. Click here to Subscribe
© BosNewsLife 2006 All rights reserved. BosNewsLife and the BosNewsLife logo are registered trademarks around the world. It is prohibited to copy and redistribute BosNewsLife content without our prior written consent. Publishers and Broadcasters please check our Republish policy.