The raid occurred in Dekemhare, 40km south of Eritrea’s capital city, Asmara, and is a continuation of the extensive government crackdown on Christian activity in the country since the beginning of the year, according to the human rights NGO Release-Eritrea UK.

According to the agency reports, during the recent raid security forces expected to find Christians participating in a prayer meeting. However, when they failed to uncover such activity, they decided to detain everyone in the home they had raided as well as other people in the surrounding neighborhood.

Those targeted for arrest are said to all be members of the Kale Hiwott Church, one of the churches affected by the government decree of 2002 that banned several independent churches. Among those arrested was Pastor Michael Abraha who suffers from hypoglycaemia.

Given the shortage of food and medical supplies in Eritrean prisons, there are considerable concerns for his health. In a further sign of the deteriorating human rights climate in Eritrea, Reporters Without Borders has indicated that there is still no news on two Ministry of Information employees who were arrested in their homes during the week of March 12 and taken to unknown destinations.

The organization has also voiced deep concerns about the fate of Eyob Kessete, a journalist with the Dimtsi Hafash Amharic-language radio service. He was arrested as he tried to flee across the border to Ethiopia and has since been held in Mai Serwa detention centre, north of Asmara.

In a statement commenting on this latest raid, Dr Berhane Asmelash, Director of Release-Eritrea UK stated, "My concern isn’t just for those who are detained following organised prayer meetings now. These people seem to have been dragged out of their beds and taken into custody along with their children. The government of Eritrea needs to understand that no one can stop those who want to pray. And there really is no justification for this type of harassment."

Christian Solidarity Worldwide’s National Director, Stuart Windsor, says, "Arresting children on the grounds that they may possibly be involved in a prayer meeting illustrates the depths to which government policy has fallen in Eritrea. However, a burden of responsibility rests with the international community for failing to challenge these violations. Notably, the European Union recently signed a major aid agreement with Eritrea while hailing its president as a key partner in the search for peace in the horn of Africa."

CSW is a human rights organization which specializes in religious freedom, works on behalf of those persecuted for their Christian beliefs and promotes religious liberty for all.

For more information, please contact Penny Hollings, Campaigns and Media Manager at Christian Solidarity Worldwide on +44 (0)20 8329 0045, email mailtpennyhollings@csw.org.uk  or visit http://www.csw.org.uk/.  

For more information on Eritrea please visit: www.csw.org.uk/Countries/Eritrea/Resources/Eritreabriefing.pdf  

© 2007 ASSIST News Service, used with permission