Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ASMARA540
2007-06-25 07:20:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Asmara
Cable title:  

PRESBYTERIANS RELEASED, TELL A STRANGE TALE

Tags:  PHUM KIRF PGO ER 
pdf how-to read a cable
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TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8909
INFO RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1372
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1550
RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN 0022
RUEPADJ/CJTF-HOA J2X CAMP LEMONIER DJ
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASMARA 000540 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

LONDON FOR AFRICA WATCHERS, PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/24/2017
TAGS: PHUM KIRF PGO ER
SUBJECT: PRESBYTERIANS RELEASED, TELL A STRANGE TALE

REF: ASMARA 421

Classified By: CDA Jennifer A. McIntyre for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASMARA 000540

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

LONDON FOR AFRICA WATCHERS, PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/24/2017
TAGS: PHUM KIRF PGO ER
SUBJECT: PRESBYTERIANS RELEASED, TELL A STRANGE TALE

REF: ASMARA 421

Classified By: CDA Jennifer A. McIntyre for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: During the week of May 28, the Government of
the State of Eritrea (GSE) released on bail the last seven
church members of the Mehrete Yesus Evangelical Presbyterian
church. The members had been detained since their arrest on
April 29 (reftel). During a meeting with Poloff on June 15,
church leader Rev. Zecharias Abraham detailed the cause for
their arrest and the machinations that occurred to secure
their release. In a bizarre story of religious politics,
Rev. Zecharias identified Rev. Asfaha Mehari, the leader of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church (one of four registered
religious institutions in Eritrea),as the instigator for the
arrests. According to Rev. Zecharias, GSE officials told him
that Rev. Asfaha triggered the arrests by sending a letter to
the Eritrean police alleging that the Mehrete Yesus church
was pro-Ethiopian and a front for U.S. intelligence
activities. A month-long tussle ensued between the GSE's
Office of Religious Affairs, Ministry of Defense, National
Security Office, Office of the President and the police to
resolve the issue. This unverifiable, yet believable story
is an excellent example of how a climate of fear and secret
bureaucratic maneuvering has permeated the day-to-day
existence of Eritreans. End summary.

-------------- --------------
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH ACCUSED OF ANTI-GSE ACTIVITIES
-------------- --------------


2. (C) Rev. Zecharias explained to Poloff the history of
tension between the Mehrete Yesus Church and Rev. Asfaha.
According to Rev. Zecharias, Rev. Asfaha has worked
relentlessly over the past five years to bring the Mehrete
Yesus Church under the authority of his own Evangelical
Lutheran Church, possibly in an effort to increase his
congregation numbers. However, given the doctrinal
differences between the two churches, neither the Mehrete
Yesus Church nor the Evangelical Lutheran Church elders were
interested in a merger and Rev. Zecharias has been able to
derail Rev. Asfaha's previous attempts. As part of the
on-going saga, Rev. Asfaha wrote a letter to the police (seen

by Rev. Zecharias after his release) alleging anti-GSE
activity at the Mehrete Yesus Church. Given the GSE's
culture of suspicion about the activities of unofficial
religious groups, the police (and not National Security
officials as previously surmised and reported in reftel) felt
this accusation was sufficient enough to arrest the entire
congregation and initiate an investigation independently.
(Comment: Under GSE law, the police are permitted to arrest
and detain individuals without charge for up to 28 days. End
Comment.)

-------------- ---
THE POLICE MAKE THE ARRESTS AND THEN SEEK BACKUP
-------------- ---


3. (C) On April 29, the day of the arrests, Rev. Zecharias
called Semare Beyene of the Office of Religious Affairs to
inform the Office that the police were at the church. After
the police arrested the entire congregation, Rev. Zecharias
attempted to negotiate with the police commissioner at the
police station, informing him that the church was not
Pentecostal and had permission from the GSE to worship. The
commissioner expressed surprise to hear the church was not
Pentecostal; nonetheless, he refused to release the
congregation and accused Rev. Zecharias of forging the
permission letters.


4. (C) The following day, the police contacted the Office of
Religious Affairs as part of their investigation. According
to Rev. Zecharias' sources, the police told the Office of
Religious Affairs that the church was operating illegally and
that the two Americans linked to the church were agents of
the USG. The Office of Religious Affairs, familiar with the
church and the resident U.S. missionaries refuted the police
claim. Thus began a month-long battle between the two
offices for control and resolution of the case.


5. (C) During the next two weeks, the police contacted the
Office of National Security with the same deliberate

ASMARA 00000540 002 OF 002


misinformation about the circumstances behind the arrests.
The police appeared to be playing on national security
concerns in order to garner support from this powerful office
during their investigation. The National Security Office,
(which allegedly supervises the Office of Religious Affairs
although the hierarchy is not clear),refused to engage
themselves with the police efforts. Seeking support from
another powerful GSE office, the police reportedly contacted
General Filipos of the Eritrean Defense Forces (EDF) and
Minister of Defense Sebhat Efrem. Allegedly, the police
claimed to the EDF that the church was hiding young people in
order to shield them from the national service draft and that
the Office of Religious Affairs was also involved in illegal
activities. The EDF also declined to become involved and
referred the police back to the Office of Religious Affairs.

-------------- ---
CONGREGATION QUESTIONED BUT PERMITTED TO WORSHIP
-------------- ---


6. (C) Unfortunately, due to the slow response of the Office
of Religious Affairs and the distractions surrounding the
upcoming Eritrean Independence Day on May 24, the
congregation remained in detention throughout most of May.
During this time, congregation members were subjected to
numerous inquisitions about church activities and
involvement. The police questioned Rev. Zecharias on several
occasions about the church activities, its source of funds
and the role and involvement of the American missionaries in
the church. In addition, he was asked to answer questions
about Mehrete Yesus Church's affiliation with the Evangelical
Lutheran Church, to include why they maintained separate
churches and about his ordination as a minister. The police
questioned the other members of the church and at one point
subjected congregation members to beatings. Rev. Zecharias
was able to intercede on behalf of the church members and the
beatings ceased. Surprisingly, despite the alleged reasoning
behind the arrests, the jail guards permitted the members of
the congregation to gather and stage small worship services
with prayer and a homily on each of the four Sundays of their
detention.

--------------
THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT INTERVENES
--------------


7. (C) Eventually, the Office of Religious Affairs secured a
meeting with Office of the President representative Yemane
Ghebremeskel and the head of the Office of National Security,
Abraha Kassa. The meeting participants discussed the
situation and decided to release the congregation. Following
this decision, the police released all but seven of the
detainees on or around May 21. The remaining detainees,
which included Rev. Zecharias and other church elders, were
finally released on May 28. Rev. Zecharias reported that
during the final week of detention, the police ceased
interrogating the detainees. No church members were asked to
recant their faith.

--------------
COMMENT
--------------

8. (C) Post initially viewed the targeting of the Mehrete
Yesus Church as yet more GSE persecution of Christians in
Eritrea, and a possible signaling of a new wave of arrests of
unregistered religious groups. According to Rev. Zecharias,
this was not the case. His bizarre, yet plausible, story
provides another example of Eritrea's devolution into a
police state, in which the citizens live in a climate of
secrecy and fear, where one person can initiate a series of
actions that persecutes nearly 80 people and only the
President's closest advisors have the power and authority to
intervene. End Comment.
MCINTYRE