Originally written on 05-10-2005.

Release Eritrea has been informed of coordinated Church office raids and the subsequent arrest of several office staff from at least two church offices in Asmara last Friday.

In a highly coordinated operation several church offices in Asmara were targeted in a parallel raid that resulted in the arrest of several office workers and visitors to a tleast two offices in the city.

At least six people have been captured and detained from the offices of Kalehiwet church located in the district of paradizo in Asmara. Mr Sirak Gebremichael, who had been discharged from military service on health grounds in 2001 and five others have been detained at the 5th police station near Asmara Airport since Friday 30th of September.

In a similar raid at the Rhema Church offices Ms Akberet Nigussie, office administrator, and a lady visitor from Massawa were detained and held at the same police station. It is also reported that office equipments, Pc’s and some documents have been removed by security forces from the premises.

Both offices continue to be under continuous surveillance with security guards stationed outside them.

Our sources also indicated that although visitors are allowed, not many have gone to visit the arrested people as there is fear of repercussions a close friend of some of those arrested told us: ‘with this heightened sense of inspection, although we haven’t been told not to visit them it has been difficult. None of them were attending any meetings or anything, they were just doing their jobs in the offices’.

The issue of religious persecution in Eritrea seems to be escalating unabated, affecting the entire nation. It is to be remembered that the Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church and several priests had become victims of religious abuse with three prominent priests under arrest incommunicado for several months now.

Last week Eritrea became the first country to have sanctions applied under US religious freedom law. The State department notified Congress that the secretary of state had banned commercial export of certain defence articles to Eritrea.