It is also alleged that military officials in Sawa subject students to ill-treatment and harsh punishments, including corporal punishment, and students undertake forced labour. As a result, Witnesses are not allowed to hold government identity cards or business licenses, or to complete high school. In the context of COVID-19, I call on Eritrean authorities to release those particularly vulnerable, including older detainees and those who are sick. The Parliament demanded that all prisoners of conscience in Eritrea be immediately and unconditionally released and that the Eritrean Government provide detailed information on the fate and whereabouts of all those deprived of physical liberty. Estimates suggest that thousands of Eritrean soldiers have fought in the Tigray War on the side of the Ethiopian government. Three men, Paulos Eyasu, Isaac Mogos, and Negede Teklemariam, have been in prison for conscientious objection to compulsory military service since 17 September 1994. refugees from Hitsat and Shimelba camps are currently missing. I am also concerned about allegations of possible implication of Eritrean troops in cases of serious human rights violations, including acts of abductions, forceful or unvoluntary return of Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers, and their imprisonment in different prisons in Eritrea. In September, HRWF had published its report In Prison For Their Faith 2020. I cannot imagine how these dear ones will adjust after so long imprisoned. They have spent between 5 and 26 years in prison. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. On 27 January, six female prisoners who were detained in Esteemed Chair, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen. It is my honour to present my first oral update to the Council since taking up the role of Special Rapporteur last November 2020. On December 4, 2020, 26 brothers and 2 sisters in Eritrea were set free after being imprisoned for their faith. On 4 December 2020, the government released 24 Jehovah's Witnesses, including the high-profile conscientious objectors Paulos Eyasu, Isaac Mogos and Negede Teklemariam, who had been held for 26 years, and whose cases were highlighted by the former UN Special Rapporteur on Eritrea in her final statement to the UN Third Committee in New York in . My CO sentit to me. , Amazing how Jehovah moved those authorities to release them - the officials are probably scratching their heads, wondering why. The women were arrested for worshiping in public, a video of which was shared by some on social media, CSW said. Zenebu detailed how she looked on as she saw Eritrean soldiers loot the belongings from residents homes. Jehovahs Witnesses are politically neutral and conscientiously cannot participate in military service. Persecution in Eritrea intensified on October 25, 1994, about a year and a half after Eritrea became an independent country from Ethiopia. Currently, our jw.org lists 7 countries by name , and "other lands" , for a total of more than 165 brothers and sisters incarcerated. There are currently 52 Jehovah's Witnesses being held without trial in Eritrea, according to the Jehovah's Witnesses' Office of Public Information. CSW welcomes the release of these Christians in Eritrea, who were detained without charge or trial, and should never have been incarcerated, CSW President Mervyn Thomas said. Ten other men have been in prison for over ten years. Reports indicate that, in recent weeks, Eritrea has released 70 jailed Christians of evangelical and orthodox who were held in three prisons. Gilles Pichaud Theshouts of praise and sayings of gratitude to Jehovah from his heavenly and earthly children!! I too was thinking about that same thing, what significance is this for Jehovah? None of the three have been charged or granted a hearing. They were focused on trying to take everything of value, she added, saying that they even stole diapers. However, this good news must not obscure the Eritrean regimes continued complicity in egregious violations of human rights, both within its own borders and now in Tigray.. [3] European Parliament, Resolution on the cases of Abune Antonios and Dawit Isaak (2017/2755(RSP)) July 6, 2017. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-8-2017-0309_EN.html. However, this good news must The men's families appealed for help to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, but the Eritrean government has ignored their request to allow lawyers, family members, and doctors to visit the three prisoners. Wouldn't it be thrilling if Jehovah was securing their release because the Great Tribulation was about to start? Jehovahs Witnesses will continue to inform government officials and others in authority about the situation in Eritrea. I am concerned that the conditions in the camp have impact on the right to education. As of September 17, 2019, three of the Witnesses, Paulos Eyasu, Isaac Mogos, and Negede Teklemariam, have been unjustly incarcerated for 25 years. On Jan. 27, six female prisoners, who had been in detention since last September, in Dekemhare, which is southeast of Asmara, were also released. The prisoners had been held without charge or trial for periods of between two and 12 years. The women were arrested after worshipping in public as they were walking down a street, an event which was caught on camera and circulated via social media. I am also concerned of the imapact of the national serice on the right to educaiton of Eritrean students. Male Jehovah's Witnesses between 18 and 40 often live in hiding, and if found by police, they face torture for objecting to military service. street, an event which was caught on camera and circulated via social media. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Click to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. The country is ruled by a totalitarian one-party dictatorship of Maoist inspiration. Since 2006, JWTalk has proved to be a well-moderated online community for realJehovah's Witnesses on the web. There were over 96,000 Eritrean refugees in Tigray before the crisis, living largely in four refugee camps, including Hitsats, Mai-Aini, Adi Harush, and Shemelba. A number of beliefs and practices of Jehovahs Witnesses have been perceived negatively by the current government. In this oral update, I request the Eritrean authorities to give me full access to refugees and asylum seekers allegedly held in various prisons inside Eritrea. Jehovah's Witnesses are required to remain politically neutral as part of their faith, abstaining from voting, running for office and partaking in military service. Sie wurden ohne Anklage oder Urteil festgehalten. On 1 February 2021, 21 female and 43 male prisoners were released from Mai Serwa and Adi Abeito prisons near Asmara. I have not yet received a response from the Eritrean authorities. On Dec. 4, the government released 24 Jehovah's Witnesses, including conscientious objectors Paulos Eyasu, Isaac Mogos and Negede Teklemariam, who had been held for 26 years. 70 Christen mit orthodoxem und evangelischem Hintergrund sind in Eritrea aus dem Gefngnis entlassen worden. The trioidentified as Paulos Eyasu, Isaac Mogos and Negede Teklemariamhave been incarcerated in the East African nation since 1994, after refusing to partake in military service, part of their pacifist beliefs as Jehovah's Witnesses. Paulos Eyasu, Isaac Mogos, and Negede Teklemariam are Je - hovah's Witnesses who are being held incommunicado by the State of Eritrea. The prisoners had been held without charge or Four Witness men have died while in prison, and three died after they were released because of the harsh conditions they suffered. Your email address will not be published. violence which may amount to crimes against humanity, war crimes and possibly Authorities arrested Eyasu, Mogos and Teklemariam on September 17, 1994, but formal charges were never filed and they've never come before the court. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. ", Tags: Eritrea, CSW, Ethiopia, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Mervyn Thomas, Eritrea: Catholic bishop and priests released from detention, "We are about to be silenced once more" - Christians in Tigray, London: Mayor Sadiq Khan, Boris Johnson, attend prayer service on anniversary of Ukraine invasion, Professor Ian Linden: Putin's war and South Africa. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. I am in tears . According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, approximately 20,000 refugees from Hitsat and Shimelba camps are currently missing. Acts 5:19 But at night Jehovah's angel opened the prison doors and led them out .Jehovah is in control, and at his appointed time . we are so happy on their behalf and yours. We call on the international community to press Eritrea for the immediate and unconditional release of all those detained arbitrarily on account of their religion or belief. Why is same-sex marriage an issue in the election of the new Scottish First Minister? Funny story, last several days they were on my mind more than usual. However, this good news must not obscure the Eritrean regime's continued complicity in egregious violations of human rights, both within its own borders and now in Tigray. This experience made a deep impression on this sincere man, and after settling in Norway, he wanted to find out why Jehovahs Witnesses have such strong faith. The situation of detainees and political prisoners is particularly concerning. We send them this sms this morning and we are sure you would agree:Dear brothers, how wonderful Jehovah is. Additionally, Jehovahs Witnesses develop missionary activities in close social networks and hold religious meetings in private homes, which is illegal. I also ( suspiciously) wonder why this is happening now? Join thousands of others to get the FREEDOM POST newsletter for free, sent twice a week from The Christian Post. Earlier this year, the United Nations Human Rights Committee asked Eritrea "to release all persons arrested or detained for exercising their freedom of religion, including Jehovahs Witnesses." I recently spoke with an ex-prisoner that spent a couple of years in Sawa prison with Jehovah's Witnesses (including Isaac, Negede and Paulos). It does not store any personal data. As of September 17, 2019, three of the Witnesses, Paulos Eyasu, Isaac Mogos, and Negede Teklemariam, have been unjustly incarcerated for 25 years. For example, since the last report of my predecessor, some prisoners such as Dawit Isaak, a Swedish-Eritrean journalist, and of ten of his colleagues remain for two decades in incommunicado detention. I am particularly concerned about the two refugee camps, which hosted over 25,000 Eritrean refugees in Tigray region, Hitsats and Shemelba, and which were allegedly destroyed in attacks carried out by Eritrean and Ethiopian troops between November 2020 and January 2021, despite their protected humanitarian status under the 1951 Convention on the Protection of refugees. final statement Join us and make a difference. In what could be an attempt to distract the attention of the international community from Eritreas role in the ongoing war in the Tigray region in neighboring Ethiopia, the Eritrean government last Monday released 21 female and 43 male prisoners from Mai Serwa and Adi Abeito prisons near the capital city of Asmara, CSW reported. Please click here to learn how. All Witnesses currently in prison have never been charged, appeared in court, or sentenced. JWTalk - Jehovah's Witnesses Online Community Christian Solidarity Worldwide has been informed that 70 Christians from evangelical and orthodox backgrounds were recently released from three prisons in Eritrea. September 2020 in Dekemhare, south-east of Asmara, were also released. A positive development occurred in January 2016 when a court brought to trial the Witnesses arrested at the Memorial in Asmara in April 2014. Eritrea is the center point of some of the most intense persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in modern times. My wife work in the same company as family members of one of the 3 brothers who have been in prison for so long time. They were held at the Sawa military training camp until 2017, when they were transferred to Mai Serwa prison, where they were briefly granted access to visitors for the first time since their imprisonment. In Eritrea, Jehovahs Witnesses are in prison as conscientious objectors to military service, for holding underground religious meetings or for attempts to share their beliefs with others. Citing eyewitnesses he met during a recent visit to Mai Aini, the There were over 96,000 Eritrean refugees in Tigray before the crisis, living largely in four refugee camps, including Hitsats, Mai-Aini, Adi Harush, and Shemelba. However, since this presidential decree, security forces have imprisoned, tortured, and harassed Jehovahs Witnesses in an effort to force them to renounce their faith. The JW's doctrine of political neutrality has led to imprisonment of members who refused conscription. I remain willing to engage constructively with the Government of Eritrea on urgent human rights concerns. Special Procedures, 46rd Session of the Human Rights Council. Since gaining independence, Eritrea's government has required indefinite national service by physically able adults between 18 and 70 years of age. They also cannot receive a complete education: 12th-grade education takes place at the Sawa military camp, but because Jehovah's Witnesses conscientiously object to military service, they do not register for their final year of education. Jehovahs Witnesses behind bars: some statistics. "Some of those Witnesses have been imprisoned for more than 20 years. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is the leading United Nations entity in the field of human rights, with a unique mandate to promote and protect all human rights for all people. Sixty-four of the Christians had no charges and some of them were jailed for worshipping in public. Three young men; Isaac, Negede and Paulos; were 18 and 21 year old when they were arrested in September 24, 1994.

New Restaurants In Gatlinburg, Articles P