International Christian groups have increased their call for the world to stand up and take notice of the religious persecutions allegedly going on in the African country of Eritrea. However, Eritrea has profusely denied the growing complaints and has denied the accusation that up to 250 Eritrean Christians have been arrested already this past year.

The Director of the Eritrean President’s office, Yemane Gebremeskel said, "These accusations are groundless. They are part of a routine allegation due to a lack of knowledge or done in the interest of smearing this country. So-called human rights groups pick up anything on the internet and give arbitrary figures."

He continued, "One cannot question the credentials of this country on religious rights and religious tolerance."

The statement denied findings by UK-based Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), a human rights organisation specialising in religious freedom and working on behalf of those persecuted for their Christian beliefs.

CSW have found that since the beginning of 2005, at least 241 Christians have been arrested in six cities and towns across Eritrea, with many remaining in custody in police stations, jails, military camps or even metal shipping containers, subjected to beatings, torture and cruel deprivations.

CSW are leading a huge outcry against the state of religious freedom in Eritrea. US religious freedom watchdog Compass Direct has also reported that since March more that 150 evangelical Christians had been detained by Eritrean authorities.

In addition the US state department reported in February that reports of religious arrests in Eritrea had decreased from 2003 till 2004, but that they were still occurring.

Currently the Eritrean law will only give official recognition to four religious denominations: Muslim, Orthodox, Catholic and the Eritrean Evangelical Church. This puts a huge block against any religious growth of other religious groups or Christian denominations.

Although Yemane denied the CSW findings, he did state that it was true that some members of "non-registered" religious sects could be detained for up to five hours before being released, without the need to comply with Eritrean laws.

Yemane said in response to the Christian Today article regarding Eritrea released on Sunday 3rd April 2005, "If a sect assembles without permission, its members are maybe arrested for five hours and then let off with a warning."

The Sudan Tribune reported Yemane as responding that a person would be detained for evading Eritrea’s compulsory national service and is discovered to belong to an unauthorised sect. This he said may be the reason for "unfair complaints" that the detainee’s religious rights are being violated.

In May 2002 it was announced by the Eritrean government that other groups would be permitted to worship but before this could happen, they had to first register with the authorities in Asmara.

Eritrea has 3.5 million people in population, with half Muslim and half Christian, according to official statistics.