a pastor remained missing since he disappeared August 12, BosNewsLife learned.
Christians in Eritrea confirmed that Pastor Leule Gebreab, 35, of Asmara’s Apostolic Church failed to return home to his wife and two children on August 12. "His wife is desperate," said Open Doors, a major rights group investigating the situation.
It came as news emerged that on August 19 police also detained ten members of a Full Gospel Church, while gathering in a home near Asmara. Four women and six men were accused of holding an "unauthorized church service", several sources said. They were believed to be held at a police station in Asmara.
The arrests are the latest in what human rights groups describe as a widespread crackdown on Christians in Eritrea. At least 2,000 Christians, many of them evangelicals, are imprisoned in the country, including in military camps and shipping containers, Open Doors and other groups have said.
TORTURE REPORTED
There have been reports of torture and many Christians have no access to lawyers. Open Doors also expressed concerns about a pastor of the evangelical Kale Hiwot Church and about 20 other members of that congregation who were detained in May and June in the town of Dekembare and have not yet been released, BosNewsLife monitored. Among them are reportedly small children.
There have been few positive developments, Eritrean Christians say, including the release of Pastor Zecherias Abraham of the Mehrete Yesus Evangelical Presbyterian Church, along with roughly 80 church members. They were arrested April 29, in Asmara, apparently because of their evangelical activities, and released in May. A small group of foreign Christians who were detained with them, were reportedly already freed after four days in custody.
Eritrean officials have denied human rights abuses, saying they only keep the laws of the land.
Since May 2002 only the traditional Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical Lutheran churches of Eritrea are allowed to function openly. However human rights groups have cautioned they even these denominations face growing pressure from the authorities. On August 16 the Eritrean government ordered that leaders of the Catholic Church to transfer its schools, clinics. orphanages and education centers for women to the authority of Eritrea’s Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, BosNewsLife established.
