nation to end the persecution of "so many Eritrean Christians" after adults and children were reportedly jailed for praying and reading the Bible together.
Human rights watchdog Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) quoted news reports as saying that Eritrean authorities raided the private home of nine Christians in the capital Asmara at midnight, March 17, arresting a lay leader of the Rema Church along with his wife, six children and father-in-law.
The following evening another Rema Church leader was also arrested with his wife and five children and after a night at the police station was sent to the same prison as the other Christians, near Asmara, CSW said. "The church leader was charged with trying to "start a new religion".
An official at the police station reportedly remarked that President Isaias Afewerki 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 Muslims," reported CSW, which investigates the plight of persecuted Christians.
MORE ARRESTS
In addition on March 18, police reportedly arrested 20 members of the Kale Hiwot Church in Assab as they attended a home group meeting. The Compass Direct news agency said that "security services: also 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’. Apparently as part of the operation on March 19 police arrested Yona Haile, an Eritrean Christian singer, accusing him of activities contrary to government policies.
There was no reported official reaction from President Afewerki but the ECFE said the Eritrea leader was "persistent silence over the matter" which it warned "is setting a dangerous precedence and sending messages to other groups intent on harassing members of Minority groups."
However Afewerki reportedly said last month that several religious groups have been "duped by foreigners" who sought to "distract from the unity of the Eritrean people and distort the true meaning of religion." He apparently added that such "futile efforts" would not be tolerated by his government. Compass Direct said the latest arrests bring the known number of independent Protestants jailed for their faith to 385.
WOMEN AND CHILDREN
Prisoners include pastors, women, teenagers, children, the elderly and dozens of soldiers, and many have been subjected to torture and "demeaning conditions" for months, the news agency reported. Since May 2002, the churches of at least a dozen denominations have been closed by government order and their congregations totaling about 20,000 believers are forbidden to worship even in their homes, Compass Direct added.
They also include ten believers from the Full Gospel Church in Asmara, who were arrested February 23 while meeting in a home in the Aba Shwale district of Asmara. 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 (about $32), a huge amount in a country with a reported average annual income of $160.
Earlier in the month over 50 Christians of Asmara’s Hallelujah Church were arrested, and 46 remain in detention at either the Adi Abeto or Mai Serwa military prisons, CSW said. "For the first time, criminal charges and fines were levied against members of unauthorized churches."
"WIDESPREAD DAMAGE"
"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," the ECFE said in an open letter to the president. "Freedom of worship is amongst the most basic, of basic human rights and should be respected as such, and as head of state it is your ultimate responsibility that every law abiding Eritrean is able to exercise their human right," it added.
Human rights group CSW said it has asked British Labour MP David Drew to table two Parliamentary questions on the recent wave of arrests in Eritrea. CSW also protested outside the Eritrean Embassy in London, and plans another such demonstration on the anniversary of the government order closing the independent Protestant churches.
The religious persecution has added to desperation among Eritrea’s roughly four million people/ The country emerged from its long war of independence in 1993 only to plunge into another conflict, first with Yemen and then, more devastatingly, with its old adversary Ethiopia.
