Eritrean Children Released after Sunday school Crackdown, but Church Leader Arrested

Latest reports from the UK-based human rights group, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has said that the last group of 30 children from a Sunday school crackdown involving 131 people have finally been released from custody. However, with all the children freed, a church leader has been arrested.

The Sunday school crackdown has raised concerns over the government-instituted action against churches, as it involved an Orthodox Church which is in fact one of the four recognised "official religions" in Eritrea along with the Catholic, Lutheran and Islam.

On 19th February at the Medhanie-Alem Orthodox Church, Asmara (the capital of Eritrea), 131 children aged between two and 18 were rounded up by a group of policemen as they were attending Sunday school. They were taken to a police station where their names and addresses were registered.

Except those aged two to 14 who were released the following day - with their parents, a remaining group of 30 children were detained for longer, but all have now been released.

However, the issue has further developed as Kidane Weldou, senior Pastor of Muluwengel (Full Gospel) church in Asmara, was arrested by the police on the street on Friday 18th March.

According to Release-Eritrea, a UK-based global partnership of Eritrean standing in solidarity with the persecuted Eritrean church, neither his family nor the Church have been informed of his whereabouts or of the charges against him over the weekend.

It was also mentioned that other senior figures from the same church have been in custody for almost 11 months.

In a statement, Dr Berhane Asmelash, co-ordinator of Release-Eritrea, said, "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."

Stuart Windsor, National Director of CSW, added, "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."

CWS said according to reliable reports, a Task Force has been set up by the Eritrean government in an attempt to devastate all Pentecostal and Evangelical Christians by the end of 2005. In May 2002 the Eritrean government ordered the closure of all independent Protestant churches.

The banned groups include indigenous Pentecostal and charismatic congregations, as well as Adventist, Presbyterian, Assemblies of God and Methodist-linked churches. Baha’is and Jehovah’s Witnesses are also targets.