In April, a group of 103 young Christian musicians were arrested in the Eritrean capital of Asmara. They had gathered to sing songs of praise, which were to be shared on YouTube, but the young Christians were deemed by the government to be involved in an illegal religious gathering. For more information on this incident, see this page.
In Eritrea, those arrested for religious reasons seldom receive formal charges or face trial. Rather, they are frequently detained under brutal conditions without any news of their location being released to their families. For more information on other cases involving our suffering Eritrean family in Christ, including informative videos about the challenges they experience in this repressive East African country, go to our country report.
We are thankful to report that Dr. Berhane Asmelash from VOMC's partnering organization, Release Eritrea, recently announced that about half of the young people who were detained have been released from custody! No further details on the situation were available at the time of publishing this report.
Praise God for the release of these musically talented Christian young people! Pray that they will experience complete recuperation from their time of detention. Continue to pray for the young believers remaining in custody, along with the hundreds of other arrested Christians who are presently imprisoned in Eritrea because of their faith. Just as Paul and Silas sang praises during their imprisonment (Acts 16), pray that – despite the horrific circumstances – our imprisoned Eritrean brothers and sisters in Christ will also be able to sing songs of sacrificial praise to God. While doing so, may the ushering of His presence through their music stir the hearts of fellow prisoners and guards who have yet to accept Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
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