detained them at the Sawa Military Training Camp on charges of "reading Bibles and praying during their free time."
Most of the newly arrested evangelicals, 37 of them women, are student youths doing their compulsory national military service at Sawa, a remote center near Eritrea’s mountainous western border with Sudan, Compass Direct news agency reported.
Local sources denied that the 75 young conscripts attempted to conduct any Christian meeting at Sawa or committed any other transgression of military law during last week’s arrest.
"In Sawa, to possess your own Bible and keep your personal devotion and loyalty to Christ is not allowed," an unidentified Eritrean Christian was quoted as saying. "This is considered an act of Christian extremism," the Christian told the news agency.
Muslim conscripts are allowed to have their own copy of the Quran and perform their prayers five times a day, said Compass Direct, which investigates the plight of persecuted Christians.
1,800 CHRISTIANS JAILED
Nearly 1,800 Eritrean Christians are now believed to be under arrest because of their religious beliefs, held in police stations, military camps and prisons in 12 known locations across Eritrea. Among them are 28 clergymen, church sources say.
The jailed Protestants are allegedly routinely subjected to physical beatings and severe psychological pressure to deny their religious beliefs. Police and military authorities reportedly demand that the prisoners return to one of the three ‘official’ Christian denominations recognized by the government.
Eritrea’s 4.5 million population is divided among Muslims and Christians and the government officially recognizes four religious denominations: Islam, Orthodox, Catholic and the Eritrean Evangelical Church.
WRITTEN PERMISSION DEMANDED
Under a decree issued in May 2002, other groups are permitted to worship but must first receive written permission from the authorities in Asmara which human rights watchers say is virtually impossible to obtain. Last year the government said that it was close to approving the Seventh Day Adventist church, but apparently delayed the procedure.
More recently recognized churches, the nation’s historic Orthodox, Catholic and Lutheran
churches have come under pressure.
Patriarch Abune Antonios of the Eritrean Orthodox Church, for instance, was dismissed by the denomination’s government-controlled, Holy Synod.
UNDER HOUSE ARREST
Antonios, who has been under virtual house arrest since August, 2005, rejected the notice he received in January saying he was "excommunicating or suspending those who signed his arbitrary dismissal order."
Church representatives reportedly fear that if the patriarch continues to challenge the government-orchestrated takeover of his church, he will be arrested soon.
But Eritrean Information Minister Ali Abdu rejected allegations of a government role in Abune’s dismissal. "Eritrea is secular and anyway criticizing the government is not something that makes you removed from your post," he told reporters. "We believe in criticism, even some people within the government criticize the government."
The US States Department has classified Eritrea as a "country of particular concern" for "particularly severe violations of religious freedom" including the arrests of hundreds of worshipers. Asmara however routinely denounces such reports as "fabrications". (With BosNewsLife Research and reports from Eritrea).
