GSE ARRESTS PRESBYTERIANS FOLLOWING WORSHIP SERVICE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASMARA 000421

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

LONDON FOR AFRICA WATCHERS, PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/02/2017
TAGS: PHUM KIRF PGOV SOCI ER
SUBJECT: GSE ARRESTS PRESBYTERIANS FOLLOWING WORSHIP SERVICE


Classified By: AMB. Scott H. DeLisi for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Following worship services on Sunday, April 29,
officials from the Government of Eritrea's (GSE) national
security office appeared at the unregistered Mehrete Yesus
Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Asmara and arrested nearly
80 individuals, including two American citizen missionaries.
Congregation members were engaged in fellowship after the
worship service at the church, when a church member informed
those gathered that members of the GSE national security
office were outside the facility. Church members immediately
contacted the head of the church, Rev. Zecharias Abraham who
was preaching that morning in Ghinda, a town about 40 km from
Asmara. Rev. Zecharias returned to the church and attempted
to negotiate with the national security officials, showing
them the documentation from the Office of Religious Affairs
that names the Mehrete Yesus Church as a "conforming church,
pending registration". The national security officials were
disinterested in the documentation indicating the church was
permitted to conduct Sunday worship services, and proceeded
to arrest all present in the church. In addition to
arresting the individuals in the church facility, the
national security officials also arrested a few non-church
members who were coincidentally passing by the church.


2. (C) National security officials transported the men and
women, and a few children, to Police Station Number 5 in
Asmara. The police transported the men to Police Station
Number 4 later in the afternoon and police released the
children on Monday, May 1. The two American citizens(who are
not dual nationals) remained in Police Station Number 5.
National security officials interrogated members of the
church, including the two American citizens. The
interrogators asked questions about the members' involvement
and roles with the church and focused particularly on the
church's source of income and individual's previous religious
affiliations - with a special focus on individuals who had
converted from the Eritrean Orthodox church. The
interrogators reportedly hit and slapped the Eritrean church
members during the interrogations. One of the American
citizens was asked to sign a statement printed in Tigrinya.
When she insisted upon a written English translation, the
interrogators provided an oral translation that summarized
her statement. She quickly realized that if she continued to
insist upon a written translation she would probably be
waiting a very very long time and she consented and signed
the Tigrinya statement. (Note: A report on prison conditions
will follow septel. End note.) Friends and family members
provided food to the detained church members; and several
individuals who came to visit the church members were
arrested when they appeared at the police station. While the
Eritrean church members remain incarcerated, the American
citizens were released the morning of May 3. Upon their
release, the national security officials informed the
Americans they were no longer permitted to preach or teach in
Eritrea.


3. (C) After the arrest the church remained open, however,
monitored by national security officials. Reportedly on
April 30 and May 1, national security officers arrested any
individuals who stopped by the church after the arrests to
check on the status of the arrested members or even to use
church facilities, such as the reading room.


4. (U) The Mehrete Yesus Evangelical Presbyterian Church,
affiliated with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, is an
unregistered church in Eritrea. The church has completed all
of the necessary paperwork required for registration. To
date the Office of Religious Affairs had considered them to
be a "conforming" church. In this limbo status of "all but
registered," the GSE allowed the church to hold worship
services behind closed doors, open a theology school and
basically maintain its operations, albeit discreetly.


5. (C) The American citizens described the national security
officials to the Ambassador as being "goons" who were "rude"
and not very intelligent. They were mostly lowland Muslims
probably brought in to do the dirty work of the higher
officials of the office of national security. (Comment: The
GSE often brings individuals from the lowlands to serve as
police and security in Asmara, filling their heads with
negative prejudices about the people of Asmara, playing on

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Eritrean stereotypes, in order to make the police/security
more aggressive and less compassionate toward the people they
are arresting. End comment.)


6. (C) Comment: The targeting of the Mehrete Yesus Church is
a new twist in the persecution of Christians in Eritrea. The
GSE has permitted the four churches that have submitted
completed registration packets (Mehrete Yesus, Faith Mission,
Baha'i and Seventh Day Adventists) to operate with limited
harassment. Post is concerned that these other three churches
may be next on the list. The Office of Religious Affairs,
that is reported to be part of the Office of National
Security, was able to negotiate on behalf of the churches and
played a role in securing exit visas for the church pastors
and resident permits for visiting missionaries. The GSE,
through the Office of National Security, seems to be
expanding its efforts to pressgang individuals back into the
Eritrean Orthodox Church by making membership in the
unregistered religious groups appear risky and dangerous.
Post believes the GSE wishes Christian Eritreans to return to
the Eritrean Orthodox church, which they also control. Most
importantly, the increasingly powerful role of the Office of
National Security is evident in these arrests and in the
presence of national security both during the arrest and at
the police station. From post's perspective, this incident
serves as yet another example of the pervasive role of the
Office of National Security in Eritrea today. End Comment.
DeLisi