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Djibouti: Catholic Priest Still Held By Police Without Charge

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Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)

14 December 2007
Posted to the web 14 December 2007

Authorities in the Horn of Africa state are holding a Catholic priest in solitary confinement without charge, his bishop has said.

Father Sandro de Pretis was arrested on October 8. He appeared before a magistrate in Djibouti on October 9, but was not formally charged with any crime.

He was rearrested on October 28 and locked up in Gabod jail in Djibouti, where he has been living in solitary confinement, the missionary news agency MISNA reported, quoting Bishop Giorgio Bertin of Djibouti.

According to the bishop, the priest's tribulations are connected with an organisation that had problems with the international Catholic charity, Caritas Internationalis. Bishop Bertin is president of Caritas Djibouti and Somalia.

"The accusations were brought by an association that Caritas had expelled several years ago," he said adding that Caritas and the association had recently resolved a legal battle that lasted ten years.

"Personally, I have no doubt of Fr de Pretis' innocence; the rumors and accusations had been circulating for quite some time that I myself opened an internal investigation, reaching the conclusion that de Pretis is innocent".

Relevant Links East Africa Djibouti Human Rights Religion

Some of the evidence presented against Fr de Pretis, apparently to support a charge of child sexual abuse, are photos of him with local children.

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