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A Catholic bishop, Abune Fekremariam Hagos, was arrested by Eritrean security agents on Saturday morning at Asmara international airport after arriving from Europe, BBC reported. The government has not commented on the arrest of Bishop Abune Fikremariam Hagos, who was ordained as the first bishop of Segheneity in southern Eritrea in 2012. The Catholic Church has asked the authorities for the bishop’s whereabouts and was informed by the church that it was “holding” the prelate but did not disclose where or why he was detained. This is not an isolated incident. Eritrean authorities had earlier arrested Abba Mihretab Stefanos, the parish priest of St Michael’s church in Segheneity on October 11, 2022. Another priest, Abba Abraham from the Capuchin Society, was reportedly detained in Teseney town.
Recently, there has been growing public discontent over Eritrea’s involvement in the conflict. The reasons behind the detention of the bishop and the two priests are unknown. It comes amid recent intensified military mobilization by the government, which is hunting draft dodgers to join the war in neighboring Ethiopia. The Eritrean government has sent troops to help Ethiopia against forces from its northern Tigray region bordering Eritrea.
The Catholic bishops have repeatedly called on the Eritrean government to nurture an inclusive democracy and end authoritarian behavior. The government has been unhappy with the Catholic Church’s calls for political reform. His only crimes are demanding justice, democracy, and the rule of law.
In 2019, the authorities shut Catholic-run schools and hospitals, saying they were imposing regulations that stipulate that religious bodies cannot run such institutions. The Catholic church is one of only four religious groups allowed to operate in Eritrea, along with the Eritrean Orthodox, Evangelical Lutheran, and Sunni Muslim groups.
-We demand the immediate release of his Excellence, Abune Fekremariam Hagos, and the Catholic Church Priests from prison.
-We demand to know their whereabouts, condition, and reasons for their arrest.
-We demand the Catholic Church should have immediate access to its Excellence.
-We demand the Red Cross and Crescent have unfettered access to the detainees.
-We ask the world community to pressure the Eritrean government to release all the religious, political, and Journalists from underground prisons.
-We hope and pray for the Vatican to intervene and demand their release.
presidente@pec.governo.it, eplobelgium@ep.europa.eu, ohchr-InfoDesk@un.org, contactus@amnesty.org
NRCE-GIE
Ghebre Bahdurai, front officer, Eritrean Government-in-exile
October 18, 2022