ANOTHER RELIGIOUS PRISONER DIES

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASMARA 000369 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/E AND DRL LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/22/2018 TAGS: PGOV KIRF ER SUBJECT: ANOTHER RELIGIOUS PRISONER DIES Classified By: Ambassador Ronald K. McMullen for reason 1.4(d). ¶1. (C) Deaths reportedly continue in the Wi'a military camp as religious, political, and other prisoners are either beaten, starved, or denied medical treatment. Reverend Zecharias Abreham (strictly protect) of the Mehrete Yesus Evangelical Church informed POLOFF July 23 that an imprisoned woman died July 13 while in the Wi'a camp. The woman, Azib Simon, died from lack of malaria medical treatment; withholding medical care is a technique used to force religious prisoners to recant their faith, according to Zecharias. Azib was a member of the Kale Hiwot Evangelical Church, one of the numerous banned religious groups in Eritrea. She was also the sister of Biniam Simon, a former Eri-TV reporter who fled Eritrea in 2006 after four months of training in Japan. MCMULLEN