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Eritrea

• Imprisoned Christian dies; other believers released

  Eritrean believer Efrem Habtemichel Hagos (37) died on March 2 while in solitary confinement in Adi-Nefase military camp in Assab. Efrem's death was caused by malaria and pneumonia, which he had been suffering with the past three months. He was reportedly denied proper medical treatment because he refused to give up his faith in Christ. He is the 12th known Christian to have died while being incarcerated at this camp. Efrem is believed to have become a Christian while doing his military service in the Eritrean Defense Force. He was buried in the camp shortly after his death.

  Meanwhile, 30 other Christians have reportedly been released recently, including three or more prominent church leaders. (Source: Open Doors)

  Pray for the friends and family of Hagos, as they mourn this loss. Pray that other imprisoned Christians will gain courage from his example of steadfast faith. Thank the Lord for the release of the 30 Christians. Pray for the over 2,000 other Christians who remain in custody for their faith in Eritrea.

  For more information on the suffering of Christians in Eritrea,click here.

• Fourteen Christians released; others arrested

  On February 5, 12 Christians who were held at the Adi-Nefase military camp in Assab, Eritrea for the past two years were released on bail. The believers, who are members of the Kale-Hiwot Church, were only teenagers at the time of their arrests. Upon their release, they were warned that they will be executed if they are caught participating in Christian activities.

  Two other Christians, Aklilu Tesfamichel and Gebru Tesfayon, were released on bail on February 15 from the Mitire Military Confinement Centre. The men, members of the Rhema Church in Adi-Kuala, had been detained in the camp for the past year and a half after they were caught witnessing about Christ to fellow military soldiers. Upon their release, they were sent back to the military units where they had served before their arrests.

  Elsewhere in the country, Eritrean security officials arrested seven Christians gathered together for prayer in a private home in Asmara on February 18. The seven believers, Nagassi, Dawit, Nahum, Ghebreab, Alem, Eden and Rigbe, were taken to an unknown location.

  Christian sources inside Eritrea estimate that over 2,000 Christians remain incarcerated in harsh detention centres for their refusal to stop worshiping outside of the government sanctioned religious communities. Among the detained believers are at least 38 leaders of underground churches who remain in prison without formal charges. Seventeen of them have now spent more than five years in prison. (Sources: Open Doors USA, International Christian Concern)

  Thank the Lord for the release of the 14 believers. Pray for the Lord's guidance for them as they adjust to life outside prison. Pray for the peace and mercy of Christ to sustain the thousands of other Christians who remain detained in Eritrea.

  For more information on the severe persecution facing Eritrean Christians, go to theEritrea Country Report.

• Christian dies in detention centre

  On January 24, Hana Hagos Asgedom (41), a member of Asabe Rhema Church, died of a heart attack at Eritrea's Alla Military Camp. Hana, who had been detained at Wi'a Military Camp for three years following her arrest in 2007, was moved to the Alla Military Camp when the Wi'a camp was dismantled seven months ago. On arrival at the new camp, Hana was offered a final opportunity to renounce her faith. When she refused, she was placed in solitary confinement. Shortly before her death, she reportedly endured beatings with an iron rod for refusing to "make the chief commander in the camp a cup of coffee" -- an order local Christians believe was in reality a sexual advance. She was then returned to her cell where she endured further punishment and eventually passed away.

  Also in Eritrea, Pastor Habtom Tewelde (55), a Full Gospel Church leader who was arrested and detained in 2008, was released on January 21. He was reportedly freed due to medical complications from his diabetes. Upon his release, he was warned not to continue his Christian activities. (Source: Open Doors USA)

  Pray for those mourning the loss of Hana. Pray that her faithful life and witness will be an example to fellow Eritreans suffering trials for their faith. Thank the Lord for Pastor Tewelde's release. Ask God to give him comfort and healing as he recovers from his time in detention.

  For more information about suffering Christians in Eritrea,click here.

• Update: Conditions poor for pastor under house arrest

  Believers from the Asmara Full Gospel church

  In mid-October, Pastor Tewelde Hailom was arrested and imprisoned along with nine other believers when security forces raided his home (for more information, click here). The pastor, who suffers from an ulcer, was later placed under house arrest. His sister, who had been allowed to take care of him in his home, was recently ordered to leave and his stomach condition is reportedly aggravated by the lack of sufficient food.

  Two men arrested during the raid on Pastor Hailom's house, Samuiel Oqbagzi and Gebreberhane Tesfamichel, have been moved to a police station notorious for its strenuous conditions. Furthermore, on November 7, another Full Gospel Church pastor was arrested and imprisoned by Eritrean security forces. (Source: Open Doors)

  Ask the Lord to heal and sustain Pastor Hailom as he suffers for his faith. Pray for the release of the recently imprisoned pastor and other Christians detained in Eritrea.

  Click here to learn more about the intense persecution of believers in Eritrea.

• Church leader's home raided, ten arrested

  Worship at the Full Gospel Church in Asmara Image of video from Gospel Light Eritrean Baptist Church

  According to Open Doors Switzerland, ten more Christians were arrested last week after Eritrean security forces raided the home of Pastor Tewelde Hailom, the founding elder of the Full Gospel Church in Asmara. According to the report, three people were arrested on October 14. Seven others were taken into custody two days later. Pastor Hailom, who is suffering from an ulcer, was taken to prison, but remains under house arrest. It is unknown at this time where the ten believers, including two women, are being detained.

  Please pray for their release. Pray that they will have courage in the face of the hardship that they will be facing. Pray for their families during this time of uncertainty over the fate of their loved ones.

  For more information on the severe persecution facing Christians in Eritrea, go to theEritrea Country Report.

• Imprisoned Christian dies of meningitis

  A Christian man detained in Eritrea's Wi'a Military Camp for the past year died of meningitis on September 3 following an outbreak of the illness at the prison, according to reports from Open Doors. Mesfin Gebrekristos, an evangelical Christian, is the fourth known believer to have died in detention this year. He is survived by a wife and two children.

  Meanwhile, authorities in the country continue to pressure Christians who do not belong to the state-approved Lutheran, Catholic or Orthodox churches. At a September 6 meeting entitled "Working along with the police to prevent crime in the country," the government called on citizens to report any "illegal" gatherings of Christians in their neighbourhoods.

  Pray for the wife and children of Mesfin Gebrekristos as they mourn. Pray that Eritrea's government will cease their campaign against evangelicals and respect freedom of religion for all.

  Click here to learn more about the persecution of Eritrean Christians.

• Christian man dies following torture in military prison

  A 43-year-old Eritrean Christian imprisoned for his faith in Mitire Military Confinement Centre died on July 23 after authorities denied him medical treatment, bringing to three the number of detained Christians known to have died in the country this year, according to the Dutch branch of Open Doors. Yemane Kahasay Andom, a member of the Kale-Hiwot church in Mendefera, had reportedly endured brutal torture since he was detained 18 months ago and was suffering from a severe case of malaria. Two weeks prior to his death, he had been placed in solitary confinement in an underground cell for his refusal to sign a recantation form. Although the exact contents of the form have not been confirmed, most Christians interpret the signing of such a form as the denouncement of their Christian faith. He has reportedly been secretly buried in the camp.

  Thank the Lord for the life and witness of Yemane Kahasay Andom. Ask God to comfort those who mourn for him. Pray that the Lord will be exalted, even through the deaths of His faithful followers (Philippians 1:20).

  For more information on suffering Christians in Eritrea, go to theEritrea Country Report.

• Three Christian women released

  Three Christian women were released from an Eritrean military camp on May 8, according to the Dutch branch of Open Doors. All three were originally detained for being members of a "banned" Christian movement after openly expressing their faith in a predominately Muslim village. A friend of one of the women arranged to have her arrested after she shared with him that she had converted from Islam to Christianity. She was taken to a military camp where her hands and ankles were tied and her faith ridiculed in front of the camp's military leaders. When threatened with a gun, she provided the name of the woman who told her about Jesus. This woman, also a convert from Islam, and another believer were then taken to the camp.

  Six months later, the women were brought before the camp's leader and told that they would be released if they agreed to stop preaching the Gospel and promised not to disclose details of their detention. The women said that while they were "no enemies of the Eritrean people or of the government," to stop sharing God's Word would be against their God-given convictions. The camp leader eventually decided to release them without condition.

  Praise the Lord for the release of these believers. Ask God to continue to give them strength and boldness to tell others about Jesus. Pray that other Christians detained in Eritrea will be released. Over 2,800 Christians remain in detention without being charged or convicted of any crime.

  Find out more about the suffering of Eritrean Christians.

• Three Christians released

  Three Christians were recently released on bail in Eritrea, according to the Dutch office of Open Doors. Two of the men, both in their 80s, had been arrested in November and were being held at the Mitire military prison camp in north-eastern Eritrea. The third man had been held in a police station for six months.

  Thank God for the release of these believers. Pray for their healing from this ordeal and pray for the thousands of others who continue to suffer horrendous persecution at the hands of their government.

  For more information on the severe persecution facing Eritrean Christians, go to theEritrea Country Report.

• Imprisoned Christians die following torture

  Two Eritrean Christians died recently in the Mitire Military Confinement Centre after enduring torture for their faith, according to a January 21 report from Compass Direct. On January 16, Mehari Gebreneguse Asgedom (42), a member of the Living God Church, succumbed to health complications caused by diabetes and mistreatment while in solitary confinement. Another believer, Mogos Hagos Kiflom (37), also died recently after undergoing torture for refusing to recant his faith. Kiflom, a member of Rhema Church, is survived by his wife, child and mother. These deaths bring to three the number of Eritrean Christians who have perished in prison at the hands of officials in the past four months.

  Pray that those in mourning will find peace in knowing that those who suffered with Christ will be glorified with Him (Romans 8:15-17). Pray for the release of Christians imprisoned in Eritrea.

  For more information on the persecution of Christians in Eritrea, go to theEritrea Country Report.