BRITISH VSO VOLUNTEER DETAINED IN ASMARA

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASMARA 000067 DEPARTMENT FOR DS/IP/AF, DS/TIA/ITA, DS/IP/SPC/SO, DRL, AF/E, LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2029 TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC ER SUBJECT: BRITISH VSO VOLUNTEER DETAINED IN ASMARA Classified By: Ambassador Ronald K. McMullen for Reason 1.4 (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. The deputy head of mission at the British embassy told RSO that on February 19, Eritrean security forces detained a 70-year-old VSO volunteer during a raid on his job site, a government-sanctioned radio station. The volunteer was released the following day. The GSE did not inform the British embassy that it had taken a British subject into custody. End Summary. ¶2. (C) The volunteer worked at Radio Bana, which is a Ministry of Education project that provides English language radio broadcasts for educational purposes. At approximately 1800 hrs on Thursday, February 19, Eritrean security forces raided the Radio Bana site and arrested everyone in the building, including the Eritrean Ministry of Education personnel assigned to monitor the broadcasts. They were taken to an unknown location approximately 10 km north of Asmara. ¶3. (C) The next day, another VSO volunteer assigned to Radio Bana arrived at the office and was told the office was closed and all personnel had been seized. This volunteer notified the VSO office, which in turn called the UK Embassy. At no time did a GSE official inform the embassy that the government had arrested one of its citizens. The same day the UK Ambassador asked Tsehaye Fassil, the MFA Director General for the Americas and Europe, why the VSO volunteer had been detained. Tsehaye said he was unaware of the incident and could not take any action without a note verbale, which was sent over later that same day. ¶4. (C) The GSE released some of the detained persons, but not the VSO volunteer, at approximately 1800 hrs on Friday, February 20. Later that evening, the VSO volunteer was given his personal items, released from custody, and driven back to Asmara in an Eritrean government vehicle. The VSO said he did not know why the Radio Bana personnel were arrested. He was not interrogated but said the Eritrean security forces were aggressive and shoved all of the detainees during their movements. Initially the volunteer was kept with all of the other Radio Bana personnel, but was moved into a room by himself on Friday morning. The VSO volunteer was not given food or water until Friday afternoon. ¶5. (C) Comment: This is the first incident in recent years involving the detention of VSO personnel. Post is not surprised the authorities did not notify the British embassy of his detention since that has been our experience as well. Based on his name and physical appearance, it is not likely he was mistaken for an Eritrean. We do not know why the security forces raided an institution that is fully controlled by the Eritrean government, though lack of interagency coordination and political infighting are possible reasons. MCMULLEN