Christian Prisoners in Eritrea - Briefing from release eritrea! &Christian Solidarity Worldwide

1. REPRESSION IN ERITREA
Eritrea is currently one of the most repressive countries on the African continent with regard to its overall human rights record, and even ranks significantly amongst offending countries worldwide. It is also the second worst abuser of religious freedom on the African continent.

In 2001 all independent media outlets in Eritrea were closed down and several journalists were indefinitely detained, along with 11 ruling party members who had called for democratisation. In 2002 the government ordered the closure of all churches that were not affiliated to the Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran or Orthodox denominations, and ended all other religious practices except Islam. Arbitrary arrest and incommunicado detention are now commonplace in Eritrea.

Thousands of people are held without charge for months and years at a time in army camps, police stations, shipping containers, underground cells and even villas. Included amongst this number are around 500 Christians, some of whom have been held without charge since 2002. Several detainees have been held in extended solitary confinement and refused family visits. Conditions in detention centres are often dangerously overcrowded and unsanitary, torture is often routinely practiced, and detainees with long-term medical conditions are sometimes deprived of their medicines.

2. SELECTED CHRISTIAN PRISONERS
Release Eritrea and CSW particularly wish to highlight the cases of several Christian detainees whose experiences are indicative of the suffe3ring of all of Eritrea’s detainees. As with all those currently detained in Eritrea, none of the people below have been charged with any offence, neither have they been brought before a court of law:

a) Helen Berhane
Helen Berhane, a 30 year old Gospel artist, was arrested by the Eritrean government in May 2004. She had just released an album of music popular among young Eritrean Christians. A member of the Rhema Church, she is reported to have been mainly held in a shipping container at the Mai-Serwa military camp since 13 May 2004 for refusing to sign a paper recanting her faith and promising not to participate in Protestant activities. She is also said to have been held in an underground cell. The News Agency Compass Direct reported that a military commander had informed Ms. Berhane that she would be allowed no visitors, and told her she would “rot here until you sign this paper.” The news agency also said that one of Ms. Berhane’s guards had reported her to the camp commander after he caught her listening to a Christian programme on a small radio in her container. As punishment she was transferred to an underground cell, where she was kept chained for two weeks.

b) Haile Naizge, Kuflu Gebremeskel, Tesfatsion Hagos
These three senior Church leaders were arrested during May 2004. Rev. Haile Naizge, chairman of the Full Gospel Church, Dr. Kuflu Gebremeskel, chairman of the Eritrean Evangelical Alliance, Pastor Tesfatsion Hagos of the Rhema Evangelical Church in Asmara were initially held in police cells in the Eritrean capital. It was reported in August that the three leaders had been transferred from these cells to an unknown location. The three pastors are now thought to be held incommunicado in Wengel Mermera investigation centre, the dungeon-like inner prison in Asmara where many of Eritrea’s prominent political prisoners are also believed to be incarcerated. Rev. Naizge’s mother, who was seriously ill at the time of his detention, has since died without being allowed to see her son. The father of Rev. Hagos has also died without seeing him.

c) Futsum Gebrenegus, Tekleab Menghisteab, Gebremedhin Gebregiorsis
In December 2004 reports began to circulate indicating that three Orthodox priests had been detained during the third week of November 2004. Rev. Dr Futsum Gebrenegus, Eritrea's only psychiatrist, Rev. Dr Tekleab Menghisteab, a highly respected physician, and Rev. Gebremedhin Gebregiorgis, an expert theologian, are all reported to have been involved in the renewal movement within the Orthodox Church, which was recently criticized by President Afwerki during his Independence Day speech on May 24. 2005. According to local sources, the Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church objected to these arrests and accused the government of ‘interfering’ in church affairs. Following this intervention, for the first time ever the traditional Christmas message by the Patriarch was not aired on national media. In February 2005 it was rumoured that Rev. Dr Menghisteab, an insulin-dependent diabetic, was suffering from hypertension. Later reports emerged that Rev. Dr Menghisteab, had collapsed on at least one occasion and been taken to hospital after he was unable to obtain his medication.

d) Oqbamichel Haimonot
Pastor Oqbamichel Haimanot of the Kale Hiwot (Word of Life) Church was arrested at a wedding onon 9 January 2005 along with 66 other evangelical men, women and children, including the bride and groom. Relatives were informed that the group had been taken to the Sawa military training centre for ‘militarily punishment’. Most were gradually released during the following months once their families agreed to pay bail bonds. However, the pastor and five others are reported to have refused to sign papers renouncing their faith. He was subjected to solitary confinement as well as to extremely harsh physical and emotional mistreatment and as a result he was re which has caused him to suffer a nervous breakdown.

e) Demoz Afwerki
Demoz Afwerki, 67 years old, was the Vice Manager of the Housing and Commerce Bank of Eritrea and an active member of the Lutheran Church. He was arrested at his office and detained at Wengel Mermera detention centre. Both he and Rev. Weldou are members of the Executive Committee of the Eritrean branch of The Gideons International. At the time of his arrest three of Mr. Afwerki‘s children were in Asmara, while his wife was in the US.

3. IMPRISONED CLERGYMEN
In all, 17 clergymen are currently imprisoned in Eritrea. Some have now been in jail for over a year. The majority are detained in high security prisons where they experience regular interrogation, and few have been allowed visits from their families. While the government has conducted revolving door releases of lay church members, so far none of the detained clergy have been released.

Below is the comprehensive list of imprisoned clergymen:

Full name Church Date Arrested Possible Location Status
Rev Dr. Kuflu Gebremeskel Full Gospel May 26/2004 Asmara/ investigation centre Married, three children
Rev. Haile Naizghe Full Gospel May 26/2004 Asmara/ investigation centre Married, three children
Pastor Tesfasion Hagos Rhema Church May 26/2004 Asmara investigation centre Married, three children
Pastor Oqbamichael T/Haimanot Kale Hiwot Feb.16/2005 Sawa Military Camp Married, three children
Pastor Hagos Abraha Full Gospel Feb. 16/2005 Sawa Military Camp Married, two Children
Rev. Dr. Futsum Gebrenegus Medhane Alem November2005 Asmara investigation centre Married, one child
Rev. Dr. Tekleab Menghisteab Medhane Alem November2005 Asmara investigation centre Married, four Children
Rev. Gebremedhin Gebregeorgis Medhane Alem November 2005 Asmara investigation centre Married , three children
PastorAbraham Belay Full Gospel Jan. 16/2005 Asmara investigation centre Married, two children
Mr. Kidane Gebremeskel Full Gospel Jan. 16/2005 Asmara investigation centre Married, three children
Pastor Fanuel Mihreteab Full Gospel Jan. 16/2005 Asmara investigation centre Married, two children
Pastor Tewelde Gebreab Full Gospel Feb. 13/2005 Mai – Serwa Military Camp Married, three children
Pastor Kidane Weldou Full Gospel March 16/2005 Asmara investigation centre Married, four children
Pastor Yohannes Tesfamichael New Covenant Aug. 16/2004 Mai – Serwa Military Camp Married, one child
Pastor Isaac Mehari Kale Hiwot March 03/2005 Mai – Serwa Military Camp Married, two children
Pastor Habteab Oqbamichael Rhema Jan. 30/2005 Mai – Serwa Military Camp Married, six children

Adapted from Compass Direct

3. RECCOMENDATIONS
CSW and Release-Eritrea call on key members and bodies within the international community to:

• Highlight the plight of these detainees during discussions and negotiations with the Eritrean authorities, requesting that they are either charged and brought before a recognised court of law in the presence of international observers or released

• Advocate for the urgent granting of unlimited and unhindered access to all detainees for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the European Union Delegation in Asmara and/or any other competent international body

• Urge the Eritrean government to allow detainees to receive visits from immediate family members, and to ensure that those who are aged and/or infirm receive medical assistance whenever necessary and are not subjected to hard labour or to conditions that are detrimental to their wellbeing

For further information, please contact:

Release-Eritrea
staff@release-eritrea.org.uk
Website: www.release-eritrea.org.uk

Christian Solidarity Worldwide
PO Box 99
New Malden,
Surrey KT£ £YF
Tel: 020 8942 8810
Email:
Email: admin@csw.org.uk
Website:www.csw.org.uk

Release-Eritrea is a global partnership of Eritreans and friends of Eritrea opposed to religious persecution in the country.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is a human rights charity working on behalf of those persecuted for their Christian beliefs. We also promote religious liberty for all.