[VoMD] Voice Of Meselna Delina

ERITREA Abune Antonios (m), aged 79, Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church

Abune Antonios, the 79-year-old Patriarch, or Head, of the Eritrean Orthodox Church, has been under house arrest in Asmara, the capital, since January 2006. Amnesty International considers him to be a prisoner of conscience. According to unconfirmed reports, Abune Antonios has been held incommunicado for the last five months and is not receiving adequate medical attention for his diabetes. His life may be in danger if he does not receive the treatment that he requires.

Abune Antonios is reportedly under house arrest for protesting against the arrest of three Orthodox priests from the Medhane Alem Orthodox Church and for refusing to cooperate with the government in closing down this Church. The three priests who remain in detention taught the Orthodox faith in a modern style which drew thousands of young followers to Sunday school and bible classes at their Church.
 

Two Eritrean journalists who are held with Bashir Ahmed Maktal, Tesfaldet Kidane Tesfasgi and Saleh Idris Salim, were shown on Ethiopian TV and on a website called Waltainfo.com on 13 April. They were accused of being Eritrean soldiers sent by the Eritrean government to fight in Somalia against Somalia’s Ethiopia-supported government. Like Bashir Ahmed Maktal and others detained with them, they have had no access to legal counsel or their families, and have not been charged with any offence.

A video published on an Ethiopian pro-government website on 13 April includes footage of two Eritrean state TV journalists, cameraman Tesfalidet Kidane Tesfazghi and reporter Saleh Idris Gama, who have been held in secret since their arrest late last year in Somalia.