ERITREA -- A senior Eritrean government official has categorically denied the existence of religious repression in Eritrea, and has dismissed reports of the mass detentions of Christians as "hyperbole."

In an interview with an Italian writer published on the government website www.shaebia.com, Director of the Office of the President, Mr. Yemane Gebremeskel, also described reports of mass arrests as “distorted and exaggerated” and stated that in Eritrea "people have never been prevented from their right to worship freely." However, he later admitted to the "periodic arrests" of members of "new faiths" who "assemble illegally."

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), an international human rights organization which specializes in religious freedom and works on behalf of those persecuted for their Christian beliefs promoting religious liberty for all, says that international human rights NGOs and local church sources currently report that over 2000 Christians are detained without charge or trial in Eritrea. The most prominent is the ordained Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church (EOC), Eritrea’s largest and oldest church, who was illegally deposed and indefinitely detained after objecting to government interference in church affairs and to the arrest of three priests from the EOC’s renewal wing.

In his interview Gebremeskel portrayed Eritrea’s Christian detainees as members of “small groups” that had emerged “in the past seven, eight years”, and that had benefited from secret and undeclared foreign funds, opposed military services, and sown division within “traditional” faiths. Gebremeskel also dismissed reports of mass clandestine migration from Eritrea as “exaggerated.”

Dr Berhane Asmelash, Director of the Eritrean religious liberty group Release-Eritrea (UK) said: “It is unfortunate that yet again the government of Eritrea has chosen the path of denial and distortion.” He added: “I am particularly shocked to hear Mr. Gebremeskel putting the life-span of these churches at around seven or eight years when in fact every Eritrean knows the long-standing contribution of these churches to the nation, including the independence struggle and also during the border conflict in 1998.”

Dr. Asmelash also refuted the assertion that the proscribed churches had received secret foreign funding: “Five years after the closure of these churches and several years after the government has combed through the accounts and operations, no one has been able to produce a shred of evidence to support this accusation”. On the issue of National Service he added “if these churches were opposing the National Service what is the explanation for the huge numbers represented in the army?”

Meanwhile, Release-Eritrea UK has also learned that Pastor Michael Abraha, who was detained during recent dawn raids that targeted the homes of members of the Kale Hiwot Church in the Dekemhare area, has been released along with many of those who were arrested with him. However, the organisation’s local contacts report that Christians who visited the detainees in the aftermath of the raids were themselves detained and are currently imprisoned in W’ia military training camp.