GSE ARRESTS EVANGELICALS AND JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASMARA 000605 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/E AND DRL/IRF LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/23/2018 TAGS: PHUM KIRF PGOV ER SUBJECT: GSE ARRESTS EVANGELICALS AND JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES DURING HOLIDAY SEASON REF: ASMARA 604 Classified By: Ambassador Ronald K. McMullen for reason 1.4(d). ¶1. (C) The Government of the State of Eritrea (GSE) strengthened its efforts to clamp down on banned religious groups during the month of December. For the past two weeks, the GSE has rounded up leaders of evangelical churches, including a prominent doctor closely associated with the American-based Physicians for Peace program. The GSE has also continued its arrests of members of the Jehovah's Witness faith, calling 10 teachers this past Tuesday and ordering them to report for imprisonment. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Reverend Zecharias Abraham (protect) of the Mehrete Yesus Church informed PolOff that no less than 17 leaders of "non-compliant" churches had been rounded up by the GSE. Included in this mix is Dr. Michael Mehari, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the Orotta School of Medicine in Asmara. Dr. Mehari was a close associate of the Physicians for Peace program, described as the "go to" person for pediatrics. In response to Dr. Mehari's arrest, Minister of Health Saleh Meky assured MedOff that the arrest was a mistake. Nonetheless, Dr. Mehari continues to be detained. ¶3. (C) On December 23 the GSE ordered 10 Jehovah's Witnesses lay leaders to turn themselves in. Thus far, two individuals have complied. Post believes an Embassy FSN who received this call is currently in hiding (reftel). According to another FSN who is a Jehovah's Witness, the GSE has arrested 19 members thus far, including the FSN's husband (incarcerated since October 23). The 19 exclude the 10 who were ordered to turn themselves in on December 23 and consist of 18 males and one female (authorities arrested the female when her husband could not be located). According to the FSN, the GSE has quietly been arresting Jehovah's Witnesses since July 2008, arresting no more than three a month. The recent arrests mark a new, bolder harassment strategy on the part of the GSE. Thus far, the majority of those detained have been held in Police Stations Two and Five. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: The renewed persecution of banned religious groups may in part be due to recent indications of an increasingly dissatisfied populace. The GSE crackdown could be an effort to quell budding opposition from evangelicals, who the government has previously characterized as being subversive tools of the West. ¶5. (C) COMMENT CONTINUED: Reverend Zecharias is currently in the United States and will be in the Washington, D.C. area in February. Zecharias has provided Post with instrumental insight into religious dynamics in Eritrea and has expressed interest in providing additional details to Washington on religious freedom abuses. If interested in arranging a meeting with Reverend Zecharias, contact PolOff Ajani Husbands (HusbandsAB@state.gov). All communication regarding Zecharias should be confidential. End Comment. MCMULLEN