In early December, Eritrean security police raided a house where 27 secondary school students were gathered for prayer and worship. Such raids often happen after a neighbour contacts police. The students, boys and girls mostly between 14 and 16, were taken away to a police station. After being held there for a few days they were transferred to Mai Serwa prison, where they continue to be held. Mai Serwa is used to house long-term prisoners suggesting that there are no plans to release the young teenagers. Like all Christian prisoners in Eritrea, they have not been charged, tried or sentenced.
Their youth and the fact that they are not adults is being ignored by the Eritrean authorities, which is common practice despite being against international human rights standards. However the authorities routinely deny mistreatment of young people and adults.
In a separate case, another seventeen Christians were arrested together and have also been sent to Mai Serwa prison.
Mai Serwa is also the prison where members of the Mahalians praise group have been held since their arrest in April 2023. It is understood that around fifty young people from the group continue to be imprisoned.
Dr Berhane Asmelash, director of Church in Chains partner organisation Release Eritrea, said, “It is sad to see the Eritrean government is causing all of these horrific atrocities against its people. The government that was supposed to protect its citizens has become the main perpetrator of violence. We call all who are concerned about this act of violence to show solidarity with the innocent Christians in Eritrea and send a strong condemnation of the Eritrean authorities’ actions.”
As he did when speaking at the Church in Chains conference in 2023, Dr Berhane called for prayer for all the victims and their families.
Eritrean government denies mistreatment of young prisoners
Eritrea’s treatment of young prisoners was questioned at the January session of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child when committee members asked if special judicial procedures applied to child offenders. The Eritrean government delegation said that it had recently raised the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 12 years. It stated that special judicial procedures were applied for children aged 12 to 15 years. Children could not be detained with adults. School or home arrest and rehabilitation programmes were provided as alternatives to detention for young offenders, who could only be sentenced to imprisonment if alternatives to detention had failed.
The Eritrean delegation also stated that there was a large amount of disinformation about Eritrea online, and accused the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights on Eritrea as being one of the main sources of disinformation on the country. It complained that the country-specific mandate of the Special Rapporteur was politically motivated and sought to serve the interests of the West.
Persecution intensifying
Dr Berhane recently told Release International that persecution of Christians had intensified in 2024 and said that unless the Eritrean Government changed its policy in 2025, which was unlikely, more Christians would face arrest and mistreatment. He explained,
“We believe it is a desperate attempt to control the growth of the evangelical population in the country. During the past twenty years the number has grown exponentially in spite of the harsh treatment of Christians.
“We are expecting more arrests and severe punishment and torture of Christians. The prison food is inedible but food and medicine are not officially allowed to be taken to Christian prisoners. That is the reason that many Christians die inside the prison.”
Dr Berhane said the total number of Christians currently in prison is more than 400; half of these were arrested during the past two years. He said that many of the recently arrested Christians were families that included children and nursing mothers adding, “About 56 of them have been taken to labour camps on government farms in western Eritrea. For many it is their second or third time of arrest.”
(Release Eritrea, Release International)
Photos: Church in Chains, UN Web TV