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Posted: Friday, April 22, 2005, 1:40 (BST)
MISSIONS
16 Pastors, 900 Christians in Jail in Eritrea, says
Persecution Watchdog
by Eunice K. Y. Or
Font Scale: A A A
Compass  Direct,  a  news  agency  for  worldwide  Christian  persecution,  has  released
approximate figures of the total number of Christians in jail in Eritrea. It was reported that
16 full-time pastors and nearly 900 Eritrean Christians are known to be jailed in local
prisons. It is based on a documented list of 883 Christians who have been arrested without
trial  or  charges  brought  against  them.  The  list  has  been  compiled  by  a  group  of
evangelicals in Eritrea.
The declining human rights and religious freedoms in this tiny Africa nation has drawn
international concern. It has been greatly observed especially as the issue has become
one of the highlights during the six-week United Nations Commission on Human Rights’
(UNCHR) meeting in Geneva.
In the midst of accusations, the Eritrean government, however, has denied the growing
complaints.  The  Director  of  the  Eritrean  President’s  office,  Yemane  Gebremeskel
responded to accusation by saying they were "groundless", during an interview with AFP
on 5th April. He claimed that "human rights groups pick up anything on the internet and
give arbitrary figures".
Gebremeskel explained that arrested Christians "are maybe held for five hours and then let
off with a warning." In contrast, sources from evangelical Christians have said that only a
handful of prisoners have been released but only after being forced to sign pledges to stop
attending religious services of the unregistered, so-called "illegal" denominations.
Currently the Eritrean law will only give official recognition to four religious denominations:
Muslim, Orthodox, Roman Catholic and the Lutheran Church. Early in May 2002, it ordered
all  of  Eritrea’s  independent  Protestant  churches  or  evangelical  churches  including
Adventist,  Presbyterian,  Assemblies  of  God,  Methodist,  Baptist  as  well  as  indigenous
Pentecostal and charismatic churches to close down.
For the past three years, the Eritrean government has refused to register any of the
nation’s fast-growing independent Protestant churches, according to Compass Direct.
Compass Direct released the list of the 16 full-time pastors detained. Half of them are from
the Full Gospel Church. They are Dr. Kiflu Gebremeskel, Haile Naizgi, Hagos Abraha,
Abraham Belay, Kidane Gebremeskel, Fanuel Mihreteab, Tewelde Gebreab and Kidane
Weldu.
Another  three of  them are  from the Sunday  School Medhanie-Alem Orthodox Church,
which experienced a crackdown on 19th February and 131 children were arrested. While
all children were later released by mid-March, Rev. Dr. Futsum Kuluberhan, the Rev. Dr.
Tekleab Mengisteab and the Rev. Gebremedhin Georgis have been under arrest since
13th March.
All the other 900 Christians in jail, according to the compiled list, are being detained in
prisons in at least 9 regions as well as local police stations. At least 144 of them are
women.
Most of the Christians were arrested at prayer meetings in homes of fellow believers or
while attending wedding ceremonies. Several others were picked up individually from their
homes or offices.
Compass  Direct  also  unveiled  the  source  from local  Protestants,  saying  that  popular
Christian singer Helen Berhane from the Rema Church has been alternately held in a metal
container or locked in solitary confinement in an underground cell as officials attempt to
force her to renounce participation in banned Christian services. It has already been 11
months since her arrest.
UK-based Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), a human rights organisation specialising
in religious freedom and working on behalf of those persecuted for their Christian beliefs, is
now leading a huge outcry against the state of religious freedom in Eritrea.
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16 Pastors, 900 Christians in Jail in Eritrea, says Persecution Watchdog http://www.christiantoday.com/article/16.pastors.900.ch ristians.in.jail.in.e...
2 of 2 11/07/2009 01:50