Originally written on 24-05-2005.

Release Eritrea USA calls on the Government of Eritrea to release all Christian Prisoner of Conscience and respect the human rights of its citizens by reinstating freedom of religious worship.

Following numerous similar calls from across the globe over the last three years, to which the government of Eritrea failed to respond Eritreans in the United States are holding a vigil outside the Eritrean Embassy Washington DC on Wednesday 25th May 2005.

The rally which is being jointly co-ordinated by release Eritrea, Christian Solidarity International and Jubilee Campaign marks the third anniversary of the closure of all independent Churches and minority faiths across the country.

Concern is mounting for 16 Church leaders and Pastors who remain illegally detained in three prisons across the country. It is also estimated that up to 900 other Christian prisoners are detained in shipment containers and prison camps which are not accessible to The International Red-Cross or any other Human rights organizations.

Eritreans inside and outside the country are particularly distressed about the ill treatment of vulnerable prisoners amidst some reports of denial to medication (to insulin dependent diabetic, Rev. Dr Tekleas Mengisteab) and mental ill health (Pastor Okba Michael Tekle-haymanot). There is also concern over the safety of other vulnerable detainees such as Mr Demoz Afworki and elderly gentleman in his late sixties and Helen Berhane (30), a popular singer who has been detained in a shipment container in isolation for over a year now.

In a statement Aklil Habtezion Director of Release Eritrea US said ‘the continued denial of freedom of religious worship and the illegal detention of numerous citizens is an utter breech of national and international human rights provisions and a total disregard for everything that Free Eritrea stands for, I totally denounce it every Eritrean should.’

Article 19 of the Eritrean Constitution allows for freedom of conscience, religion, movement, assembly, organisation and expression of opinion. Moreover, in Article 17, the Constitution stipulates the right to a fair and public trial, the presumption of innocence and the right of appeal. It also states that anyone arrested should be brought before a court of law within 48 hours of their arrest, while the Eritrean Penal Code states that once arrested, a person should be charged within 28 days or released.

Eritrea has also acceded to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, all of which contain provisions for, amongst other things, the right to freedom of religion.