Although Berhane reportedly knew that the world had heard about her plight and that Christians were praying for her, local Christians told Compass that they assumed she had been ordered not to talk about her imprisonment after her release.

“Of course we’ve had no contact with her, because that’s extremely risky for somebody who’s just released from prison,” Horn of Africa researcher Dr. Martin Hill of Amnesty International told the British Broadcasting Corporation on November 4.

In an interview with Agence France-Presse the previous day, Eritrean Foreign Minister Ali Abdu denied any knowledge of Berhane’s case.

Instead, he criticized Amnesty International for its massive campaign on her behalf, saying, “Who is accountable for them, and who has given them the right to be the global police of this world?” Abdu said. “I am not saying it is a lie . . . but we do not even give them recognition,” the minister said.

Designated by the U.S. State Department as one of the worst violators of religious freedom in the world, the Eritrean government flatly denies the allegations.

In ongoing crackdowns since May 2002, Eritrea has banned all independent religious groups not under the umbrella of the government-sanctioned Orthodox, Catholic, Lutheran or Muslim faiths. Serious restrictions against these four recognized religions have also escalated in the past 18 months.

More than 2,000 Eritrean citizens are known to be jailed solely for their religious beliefs, some for several years. Most are routinely subjected to torture and severe pressure to either recant or remain in prison.

Copyright 2006 Compass Direct News