E/CN.4/2005/61/Add.1 Page 25 They had not been taken to court within 48 hours, as required by law, or charged with any offence. 95. Tesfatsion Hagos, pastor of the Rema Evangelical Church in Asmara, was reportedly arrested on 27 May 2004 while on a visit to Massawa port. His whereabouts are not yet known, but he too is believed to have been arrested solely on account of his religious beliefs. 96. On 3 November 2004, the Special Rapporteur transmitted a communication to the Government of Eritrea in connection with information received according to which, on 25 July 2004, the police disrupted a Christian wedding ceremony in Senafe and arrested 30 people who were present. Police officers allegedly ordered everyone who was not a “Pente”, a derisive abbreviation for “Pentecostal”, to leave the place immediately. Many of the guests did so, but the 30 Evangelical Christians who stayed were taken to a police station. According to the information received, all but two of the prisoners were released after signing a document promising not to participate in any Evangelical Christian wedding in the future. The police reportedly continued to detain an evangelist, identified as Michel, of the Kale Hiwot Church, and Teame Kibrom, a man in his 80s, who were declared responsible for the marriage, which allegedly defied a government ban on Evangelical Church activities. 97. On 24 January 2004, Ms. Akberet Gebremichael, aged 30, Mr. Asmerom Beraki, aged 50, Mr. Gebrehiwet Tedla, aged 87, Mr. Gebreselassie Adhanom, aged 94, Mr. Mikias Gebru, aged 19, Ms. Rebka Gebretensae, aged 39, Mr. Samson Tesfalem, aged 24, Mr. Sertsu Yilma, aged 55, Mr. Tedros Atsbeha, aged 25, Mr. Tekle Gebrehiwet, aged 40, Mr. Tsegaberhan Berhe, aged 41 and Mr. Yemane Tsegay, aged 41, all Jehovah's Witnesses, were reportedly arrested along with 26 other people, including eight children, while they were holding a religious service in a private home in Asmara. The Special Rapporteur on the question of torture and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression sent a joint urgent appeal to the Government of Eritrea in connection with their case on 24 February 2004 and another joint communication was sent on 20 July 2004 by the Special Rapporteur on the question of torture, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. According to the information received, 26 individuals who were arrested at the same time as the 12 above-named persons were released. However, the latter were reportedly still detained incommunicado at an unknown location, without charge or trial. It is also reported that they were warned not to worship or conduct any religious activities again. It seems that the authorities have not publicly acknowledged the arrests or given any reason for them, but it is believed that these arrests might have been aimed at forcing them to abandon their faith, and to force those of conscription age (18-40) into military service. Follow-up to previously transmitted communication 98. By letter dated 4 February 2004, the Government of Eritrea responded to a communication sent by the Special Rapporteur on 7 October 2003 and relating to the arrests of three members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses “because of their religious beliefs” and their refusal “to comply with the military service law”, the brief detention