What are the Dangers for Christian Eritrean Orphans?

Eritrean Authorities Arrest the Country’s Most Senior Pediatrician on the Count of his Christian Faith

Submitted by editor on Fri, 2008-12-19 20:02. persecution news

(London 19-12-08) In what seems the culmination of arrests that were carried out right across the country Eritrean authorities arrested several prominent members of Evangelical Churches in Asmara. Among those arrested, over the last few weeks, is Dr Michael Mehari, of Kale Hiwet church in Asmara, a renowned paediatrician, who was known for his commitment to his work and dedication to his faith. Dr Michael is a father of atleast four young children who are now undergoing the uncertainty that has been the fate of all other children and families of prisoners as Eritrean authorities do not allow any visitation rights. Information received from contacts in Asmara includes the names of several others who were arrested along with Dr Michael from the following churches; Full Gospel, Debrebetiel, Hiyaw Yesus (Living God) and Philadelphia (a group associated with the Kidanemihret Orthodox Church), the total number of those arrested is not known.

In a similar move in the town of Dekemhare, a church mission school, that was run by Kalehiwot Church since 1952, until it was taken over by the government two years ago, was raided and several Christian teachers were arrested, many of them are elderly believed to be in their sixties and seventies, with many years of service to the school.

With the arrest of Dr Michael, Eritrean authorities have now arrested three prominent doctors on the count of their Christian faith; Rev Dr Fitsum Gebrenigus, the only Eritrean psychiatrist in the country and Rev Dr Tekelab Mengisteab, a diabetics specialist, have been under arrest since 2004. Both are Orthodox priests who were leaders of a youth reform movement in the Orthodox Church of Eritrea, issues concerning their arrest finally led to the illegal deposition of the Patriarch of the Church who has been under house arrest since September 2005.

At a time when there are reports of severe food shortages Release Eritrea is extremely concerned not just for prisoners, but for their families who are going to find it extremely difficult to provide even the very basic necessities, for themselves. With a prison population of an estimated 3,000 plus Christian victims of religious intolerance Release Eritrea appeals for those who have any influence on the government of Eritrea to advocate on behalf of prisoners and their families. In a statement Dr Berhane Asmelash, Director of Release-Eritrea said ‘’It seems that with every passing year I am loosing more and more of my friends and colleagues to the Eritrean prison system I know the school in Dekemhare and many of those who worked there for many years and Dr Michael was a colleague, at this time of year when many of us focus on our children and families I can’t help but think about all those who are imprisoned and their children, we should all continue to pray and advocate for them’’.

Release Eritrea in a human rights organisation based in the UK, focusing on religious persecution in Eritrea. It is estimated that since 2002 the Government of Eritrea has arrested over 3,000 Eritrean Christians belonging to churches that it decreed illegal and closed in May 2002.