children have been released from custody in Eritrea, but a church leader was arrested, a human rights group said Monday, March 21.
In a statement to BosNewsLife News Center, UK-based Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW)
reported that the children were attending Bible classes at an Eritrean Orthodox church in the capital Asmara "when they were rounded up by police on February 19."
They were taken "to a police station where their names and addresses were registered and children as young as two were held for three hours. The remaining 30 have now all been released," said CSW, which has close contacts in the region. However "in a further development of concern" Senior Pastor Kidane Weldou of the Muluwengel Full Gospel Church in Asmara "was snatched by police from the streets of the capital", Friday, March 18, the group claimed.
WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN
"Pastor Kidane was taken into custody and the car that he was using was found abandoned nearby. It was confirmed over the weekend that neither his family nor the Church have been informed of his whereabouts or of the charges against him," CSW said.
The human rights watchdog claimed that other senior figures from the same church have been in custody for almost 11 months.
"I am saddened to see yet another arrest, which makes it clear that far from relenting on this, the Government of Eritrea is intensifying the purge. I hope all Eritreans, friends of Eritrea and the international community will take this up on behalf of the voiceless Eritrean Church," said
Berhane Asmelash, co-ordinator of Release-Eritrea, an independent group campaigning for religious freedom in the African nation, in a statement.
"AGGRESSIVE CAMPAIGN"
"While we are relieved all those arrested in February have now been released, this latest arrest of a church leader concerns us deeply. The Eritrean regime seems to be pursuing with impunity an increasingly aggressive campaign against the churches," said CSW National Direct Director Stuart Windsor.
The reported arrest comes after President George W. Bush’s administration announced last week it was asking Congress for a few more weeks to continue what are seen as "productive contacts" with Eritrea, as well as with Vietnam and Saudi Arabia aimed at resolving US concerns about their records on religious freedom.
Earlier Washington claimed "Eritrea’s poor record" on religious rights continued to worsen with the government monitoring, harassing and arresting members of Evangelical Christian groups.
INDEPENDENT CONGREGATIONS
The Eritrean Government closed down all independent congregations not linked with the country’s four officially recognized religions, Orthodox Christian, Catholic, Lutheran and Muslim by presidential decree in May 2002.
In total at least 550 Christians are held in prisons and even metal containers in the small African nation because of their religious activities, including children and Christians caught worshipping during military service, said human rights watchdog Voice Of the Martyrs recently.
The Eritrean government has denied there is religious persecution in the country. President Isaias Afworki has been quoted as saying 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."
(With BosNewsLife News Center, reports from Eritrea).
