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Eritrea

  • New wave of arrests sweeps across Eritrea

    A campaign of mass arrests initiated by Eritrean authorities in late November has now reached the capital city of Asmara, leading to the detention of approximately 100 Christians including men, women and children from a variety of denominations, according to a December 18 report from Christian Solidarity Worldwide. The wave of house arrests began in northern Eritrean cities and moved to southern regions before reaching the capital on December 12. Some of the detained Christians were reportedly transferred to a military facility and were severely mistreated. Local sources indicate that an unspecified number may have died due to untreated injuries sustained in detention.

    Pray for the release of those detained. Ask God to comfort those who have lost loved ones. Pray that Eritrean Christians will continue to follow Christ's example of faithfulness at great cost (1 Peter 2:21). Pray that Eritrea's leaders will repent and come to faith in Christ.

    For more information on the continuing persecution of Christians in Eritrea, go to theEritrea Country Report.
  • Imprisoned Christian dies, more believers arrested

    Eritrean Christians continue to be targeted by authorities and imprisoned for their faith, according to an October 30 report from Open Doors-USA. Teklesenbet Gebreab Kiflom (36), a member of the Full Gospel Church who was detained for approximately a year at the Wi'a Military Confinement Centre, died recently of malaria. He reportedly suffered harsh military punishment and was denied medical attention.

    Authorities have arrested 65 believers belonging to house churches in recent weeks. Officials made the arrests in five different locations, working off of a list of names that sources believe were provided by informants around the country.

    Pray for those mourning the loss of brother Teklesenbet. Pray for the release of imprisoned Christians. Ask God to work in the hearts of Eritrea's leaders.

    For more information on the plight of Eritrean Christians, please visit theEritrea Country Report.
  • Five More Evangelicals Arrested

    As five evangelical Christians met for prayer on the evening of September 7 in the office of the New Covenant Church in Asmara, Eritrea, police burst in and arrested them, according to a September 15 report from Compass Direct. After a day's detention, the one woman in the group was released. The four men, including the pastor, Yohannes, were transferred to the Adi-Abyto military camp.

     
    Shipping containers like these have frequently
    been used to imprison evangelical Christians

    Hundreds of evangelical Christians have been arrested, some held for months in metal shipping containers with very limited food and air. On September 15, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell announced that Eritrea has been included in its list of "countries of particular concern" because of the government's repressive action against any religious group not officially recognized. The other countries are Saudi Arabia, Vietnam (also listed for the first time), Burma, China, Iran, North Korea, and Sudan. The list was announced as the State Department made public its 2004 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom.

    Pray for these Christians and the many others presently in prison for their faith in Eritrea. Pray that the Eritrean government will listen to the concerns of the international community and recognize the importance of religious freedom. Pray for Christians in Eritrea, as they continue to be salt and light in the midst of this oppression.

    For more information on persecution facing Christians in Eritrea,click here. To view a video report by VOM produced earlier this year on the persecution facing Christians in Eritrea, go to the Video section of VOM's multimedia website, vomcanada.com.
  • Christian students imprisoned in shipping containers

     Sawa Defense Training Centre and shipping containers
    Sawa Defense Trainining Centre
    and shipping containers

    On August 5, authorities locked up eight Christian students of the Sawa Defense Training Centre in metal shipping containers for objecting to the burning of hundreds of Bibles that had been confiscated from new students, according to an August 11 report from Compass Direct. While setting the books on fire, a chief commander warned the students that the centre was a place of patriotism, not a place for "Pentes" (Pentecostals). When the eight male students protested the burning, they were taken into custody and imprisoned in the metal containers that authorities often use to imprison Christians found practicing their faith.
     
    Pray that these students will be released. Pray that they will come into a deeper relationship with Christ as they embrace the fellowship of His sufferings (Philippians 3:7-10). Pray for other Christians suffering for Christ's sake in Eritrean prisons.

    For more information on the persecution facing Christians in Eritrea, go to the Eritrea Country Report.
  • Imprisoned Christian Woman Dies

    Eritrea mapAn Eritrean Christian woman, Azieb Simon (37), died of malaria in the Wi’a Military Training Centre last week after being imprisoned and tortured for months, according to a July 23 report from Compass Direct. Simon, a member of the Kale-Hiwet Church in Assab, was weakened by the mistreatment she had sustained since her arrest in December. Authorities reportedly refused to give her treatment for the disease, which she contracted only a week prior to her death. Other Christians imprisoned in the centre are under constant pressure to recant their faith. Compass also reported that eight Christian brothers held at the Adi-Quala prison were taken to the medical emergency facilities as a result of torture by military personnel at the camp. Moreover, in the port city of Assab, 32 Christians were imprisoned and taken to Wi'a earlier this month.

    Ask God to fill those who mourn for Azieb with a peace that surpasses understanding in the midst of their grief (Philippians 4:7). Pray for the safety of those still in prison, and for their quick release. Pray that Eritrean Christians will remain faithful in the face of pressure to deny Christ.

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

    Keren, EritreaEritrean police arrested 34 evangelical Christians in the city of Keren on May 28, according to a June 2 report from Compass Direct. The Christians, who are members of the Berhane Hiwet (Light of Life) Church, were meeting in a private home for prayer and fellowship. All 24 men and 10 women present in the meetings were taken to prison, with their children left behind. The next day security officials transferred the women prisoners to the Adi-Abeyto Military Confinement facility on the outskirts of the capital city of Asmara.

    Pray for the release of Eritrean Christians who are imprisoned for the sake of Christ (Acts 12:5). Ask God to strengthen and comfort their families. Pray that the Eritrean government will respect the rights of Christians to freely worship their Lord.

    For more information on the persecution of Christians in Eritrea, go to the Eritrea Country Report.
  • More Christians Arrested; Imprisoned Pastors may Face Treason Charges Police raided a private home and jailed 25 Christians who had gathered in Adi Kuala on Eritrea's Independence Day on May 24 to pray for their nation, according to a May 27 report from Compass Direct. Twenty men and five women meeting in a Christian's home were taken into custody. All are members of the local Medhane-Alem group, a renewal movement within the Eritrean Orthodox Church. They are now being held in a police station in the town which is about 90 km southwest of the capital city of Asmara.

    Two separate groups of Christian prisoners held in detention for the past three months have been reportedly released recently. Ten members of the Church of the Living God, a breakaway group from the Eritrean Orthodox Church, were set free after three months' detention in the Mendefera police station. Another 15 members of the Kale-Hiwot Church who had been held in the Keren police station were also released. All the discharged prisoners were forced to pay 80,000 nakfa ($5,330) per person as bail. When they were set free, authorities strictly warned them against involvement in any Christian activities in the future. Some were forced to surrender property deeds as bond, in order to secure the steep bail demands.

    Haile Naizghi, Dr. Kiflu Gebremeskel and Tesfatsion Hagos
    Haile Naizghi, Dr. Kiflu Gebremeskel and Tesfatsion Hagos

    The Compass report also indicated that the Eritrean government plans to press formal charges of treason against several pastors jailed for the past four years. Relatives and church members of the long-jailed pastors are experiencing "great anxiety" over these unconfirmed reports. Official conviction for treason carries the death penalty in Eritrea. Three of the most prominent pastors -- Full Gospel Church leaders Haile Naizghi and Dr. Kiflu Gebremeskel, together with Tesfatsion Hagos of the Rema Evangelical Church -- have been imprisoned incommunicado for the past four years.

    Pray for the release of those in prison for the sake of Christ. Ask God to sustain by His grace the pastors and their loved ones as they face continued suffering (1 Peter 5:12).

    For more information on the persecution of Christians in Eritrea, go to the Eritrea Country Report.
  • Christians Released from Prison

    Asmara and Massawa, EritreaEritrean security police authorities released 35 evangelical Christians in the Red Sea port city of Massawa on February 16 after holding them in custody for six weeks at a local police station, according to a February 21 Compass Direct report. All the jailed Christians were members of the government-banned Faith Church of Christ. The 35 men and women were worshipping in a private home on January 6 when security officials raided the house and arrested them. The group was denied visitation rights while in police custody and official charges were never filed against them.

    In another incident, 10 members of the Full Gospel Church who had been incarcerated for five years in Assab's notorious military prison were released on bail approximately two weeks ago. The seven men and three women had been transferred from Assab to the Adi-Abeyto prison, on the outskirts of Asmara, six months ago.

    Praise God for the release of these Christians from prison. Ask God to strengthen the Christians in Eritrea as they continue to serve Him under constant pressure and persecution (Ephesians 6:18-20).

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

    Eritrea mapAccording to a January 27 report from Gulf Information Center, 30 Christian youth belonging to the Pentecostal Church in the Red Sea port city of Massawa were arrested by the Eritrean government last week. The report also indicated that the campaign to arrest Christians had spread to several other cities, including the capital city of Asmara, where detainees were being forced under torture to reveal names of other believers.

    Pray for God to sustain the imprisoned Christians by His peace and grace. Pray for Eritrean believers to continue to stand boldly in their faith in Christ despite severe persecution (2 Thes. 3:1-3).

    For more information on the persecution of Christians in Eritrea, go to theEritrea Country Report.
  • Eritrea Expels Catholic Missionaries
    President Isaias Afewerki
    President Isaias Afewerki

    The Eritrean government has ordered the expulsion of thirteen Catholic missionaries, according to reports from the missionary news agency MISNA and the Catholic Information Service for Africa (CISA). Expulsion orders were issued on November 6 to four Comboni fathers (two Mexicans, a Filipino and a Kenyan), two Comboni sisters, two Pavonian fathers, two Filipino Pius Teachers, two nuns of an unspecified congregation and a lay Italian missionary who works as secretary for the Bishop of Barentu. They were told that they had fourteen days to leave the country.

    The reasons for the expulsion remain unclear but sources told MISNA that two years ago the government gave notice to some missionary institutes to prepare local personnel in anticipation of a planned exit of foreigners from the nation. The Voice of the Martyrs believes that this expulsion is part of a wider plan by the Maoist dictatorship of President Isaias Afewerki to destroy or control Christianity in the east Africa nation.

    Please pray for Eritrean Christians as they continue to suffer harassment at the hands of the Eritrean government. Pray for the many who are in prison because of their religious work.

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

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