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Eritreans Call On their Government to Release Christian Prisoners of Conscience.

Submitted by selam on Mon, 2005-05-16 22:25. press release

(London, UK 05-05-19) Release-Eritrea calls on the Government of Eritrea to unconditionally release all Eritrean Christians imprisoned for their faith and open Minority Churches which have been shut for three years this week.

The organization is particularly concerned about those prisoners who have been held incommunicado, without due legal course. It is to be remembered that a year ago the government took three prominent Church leaders into custody ( Dr Kiflu Gebremeskel, Rev haile Naizghi and Pastor Tesfazion Hagos) and continues to detain them illegally. Earlier this year many more church leaders have joined the trio with the total number of church leaders and ministers imprisoned currently standing at a total of 16 in three prisons across the country.

Concern is also mounting for other vulnerable prisoners like; Mr Demoz Afworki a 67 year old gentleman who was detained in March and Helen Berhane a 30 year old woman who has now been incarceration mainly in shipping containers for nearly two years now.

It has also come to our attention that medical care has also been unforthcoming to some prisoners. It is particularly disturbing to hear that Rev. Dr Tekleab Mengisteab, who is an insulin dependent diabetic had to be taken into hospital critically ill at least on one occasion, due to the fact that he was unable to obtain the medication he depends on. His family were unable to contact him in hospital even during this critical time.

In a statement Dr Berhane Asmelash Director of Release-Eritrea said; ‘I am really distressed to hear about the continued incarceration of my friends and colleagues with whom I have served the Lord over the years. I have absolutely no words to excuse the actions of a government, they have served, faithfully and dutifully, treating them with utter disdain befitting condemned criminals. This is in total breach of the Eritrean constitution, our penal code and indeed international treaties that we have entered into’

Article 19 of the Eritrean Constitution allows for freedom of conscience, religion, movement, assembly, organisation and expression of opinion. Moreover, in Article 17, the Constitution stipulates the right to a fair and public trial, the presumption of innocence and the right of appeal. It also states that anyone arrested should be brought before a court of law within 48 hours of their arrest, while the Eritrean Penal Code states that once arrested, a person should be charged within 28 days or released.

Eritrea has also acceded to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, all of which contain provisions for, amongst other things, the right to freedom of religion.

Notes to the Editor

Release Eritrea is a global partnership of Eritreans and friends of Eritrea standing against religious persecution in Eritrea.

On May 22 2002, the PFDJ (the ruling party of Eritrea) ordered the closure of all churches not belonging to the Orthodox, Roman Catholic or Evangelical Lutheran denominations. So far, at least 36 churches have been closed. Many followers of these churches and their leaders have been imprisoned, harassed and tortured.

Currently it is estimated that close to 900 Eritrean Christians are held imprison across the country without trials or any legal due course.

On several occasions since then the Eritrean government issued blanket denials of the existence of persecution in the country stating that ‘no groups or persons are persecuted in Eritrea for their beliefs or religion’ and that people were ‘free to worship according to their wish’.

Eritrea is one of the three new countries, which the United States recently designated as ‘countries of particular concern for several violations of religious freedom’

You can contact Release Eritrea by emailing staff@releaseeritrea.org.uk