Tags

Eritrea

  • Three Church Leaders Released on Bail

    Three Eritrean church leaders were unexpectedly released on bail in late January, according to a February 15 report from Compass Direct. Two of the men, Pastor Simon Tsegay and Gebremichel Yohannes, had been in custody since September. They had been arrested when their church continued to use a church building in the town of Adi-Tezlezan after it was sealed by government order. Tsegay was the pastor and Yohannes was the administrator of the church. Pastor Fanuel Mihreteab of the Full Gospel Church has also been released on bail after serving two years in prison. All three men were forced to turn over property deeds as bail guarantee.

    At last report, more than 2000 Eritreans are jailed solely for their religious beliefs. The majority are Protestant Christians.

    Thank God that these men have been released on bail. Pray that they will not face imprisonment again. Pray that they will remain faithful to God's call on their lives (1 Peter 5:1-4). Pray that the tide of persecution in Eritrea will turn and believers will once again be free to share Christ with others.

    For more information on the persecution of Christians in Eritrea,click here. Video reports on Eritrea are available on VOMC's multimedia website, https://www.vomcanada.com/.
  • Samaritan's Purse Drivers Released

    On December 4, nine truck drivers working for Samaritan's Purse were arrested as they were driving toward the Eritrean-Sudanese border (for more information, click here). The Voice of the Martyrs has received confirmation that all nine have since been released. Samaritan's Purse has been officially asked to leave Eritrea and presently has no staff in the country.
  • Eritrean Pastor Arrested

    Pastor Habtom Tesfamikael, one of the last remaining free Christian leaders in Eritrea, was recently arrested and imprisoned, according to VOMC sources.  He was a pastor of one of the largest Pentecostal churches in Eritrea, the Asmara Full Gospel (Mulu'e Wengel) Church. Pastor Habtom is a married man who has been serving the Lord for more than thirty years.

    Pray for the Lord's grace to abound in Pastor Habtom while he suffers. Pray that God will meet the needs of his wife according to His glory (Philippians 4:19). Pray that the members of Pastor Habtom's congregation will not give in to fear and despair but be enabled by God to stand firm in their faith. Ask God to continue to bring forth more Christian church leaders to guide those whose leaders are imprisoned (Luke 21:13-15).

    For more information on the persecution facing Eritrea's Christians,click here.
  • Helen Berhane Leaves Eritrea

    The Voice of the Martyrs has learned that Helen Berhane, the well-known Eritrean singer who was released from prison this past November after thirty one months imprisonment, recently left Eritrea for Sudan. She is in a relatively secure and freer environment. Plans are underway for her to resettle in a Western country. Eritrean authorities are reportedly furious that she was able to leave the country.
  • Sixty-Eight Christians Arrested
    Sawa Military Centre
    Police and military authorities jailed sixty-eight Christians during the first week of January, according to a January 23 report from Compass Direct. The wave of arrests occurred in three official round-up operations against both Protestant evangelicals and Orthodox renewal movement church members.

    On January 4, military commanders at the national Sawa Military Centre performed what they called "a random check-up on the activities of Christian extremists" on student conscripts. They searched the conscripts' personal effects, finding 250 Bibles which they burned in front of the entire military camp. The commanders then arrested thirty-five of the teenage students and ordered that they be subjected to severe military punishment, including physical torture.

    On January 5, police took eight staff members of government ministries, five men and three women, into custody. The Christians -- who are all members of Medhane Alem, an Eritrean Orthodox Church renewal movement -- are reportedly being interrogated and pressured by police to identify all leaders and supporters of their movement. Police have informed their families that the arrest order came from higher authorities.

    In another January 5 incident, twenty-five Christians in the southern port city of Assab were arrested by police. All of the prisoners, including seven women, were incarcerated at the Wi'a Military Camp, where they were pressured to recant their faith.

    Pray for the release of all Eritrean Christians who are imprisoned because of their loyalty to Christ. Ask God to open doors of opportunity for them in prison so that they can share the gospel for which they suffer (Colossians 4:2-3). Pray that those who are being tortured for their faith will be strengthened and delivered by the Lord (2 Corinthians 1:9-11).

    For more information on persecution in Eritrea,click here.
  • Government Takes Control of Eritrean Orthodox Church; Aid Workers Arrested

    The Eritrean government consistently claims that the freedom of religion is respected in Eritrea, despite the closing of all churches in 2002 except the Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches. In recent months, however, even these approved churches have come under pressure from the authorities. In January 2006, the government removed the patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church and appointed their own person to the position. According to a December 14 report from Compass Direct, the government has now ordered that all of the church's finances be run through the government coffers. A December 5 order mandates that all tithes must be deposited into a government-controlled account from which priests would be paid. The government will also be restricting the number of priests allowed in each parish. The church leadership has reportedly agreed to these restrictions. Similar restrictions on the Roman Catholic Church are being rejected.

    There are also reports that nine truck drivers working for the Christian relief organization, Samaritan's Purse, were arrested on December 4 as they were driving toward the Eritrean-Sudanese border. The drivers, most of them known to be evangelical Christians, remain in custody in Police Station No. 6 in Asmara. Last month, Samaritan's Purse was ordered to leave the country. It is the eleventh international aid organization expelled this year. Eritrean officials claim the expulsions are to protect the country from dependency on foreign aid.

    Pray that these attacks against Christians will cease. Pray that Eritrean believers will be able to meet together despite opposition (Hebrews 10:23-25). Ask God to work in the hearts of those persecuting the believers so that they will come to know Him as Lord.

    For more information on persecution of Christians in Eritrea,click here.
  • Well-known Eritrean Christian Gospel Singer, Helen Berhane Released From Prison

    After being incarcerated for thirty months in the Mai-Sirwa military camp just outside the capital city of Asmara, The Voice of the Martyrs (Canada) has learned well-known Eritrean Christian gospel singer, Helen Berhane has just been released from prison.

    The 31-year old was admitted to the Halibet Hospital in Asmara recently. She was seen in a wheel-chair in the hospital but was not allowed any visitors. Many Christians in Canada and around the world have been praying for this very committed follower of Christ.

    Helen, who is now with her parents in Asmara, is said to be in very good spirits despite her plight for the sake of Christ. The Voice of the Martyrs (Canada) joins the chorus of praise to our Lord for this good news which has come in the wake of the martyrdom of two Eritrean Christians three weeks ago in the town of Adi-Quala which is about ninety kilometres south-west of Asmara.

    Please continue to pray for the release of more than 2000 Eritrean Christians that include most the leadership of the evangelical churches in the nation. Pray for God's grace to abound in them in prison as they suffer for Christ's sake with love and prayer for their persecutors (Romans 12:14). Also pray for the families of the imprisoned Christians. Pray that God's grace will likewise abound in them and that our gracious Father will provide for their every need (Phil. 4:19). And please join our Eritrean brothers and sisters around the world who are rejoicing and praising God for the release from prison of this faithful believer and servant of Christ, Helen Berhane.

    For more information on the persecution facing Christians in Eritrea,click here.
  • 150 More Christians Arrested

    Eritrean authorities have arrested and detained 150 Christians, according to an October 30 report from Compass Direct.

    The large-scale roundup began at approximately 6:00 a.m. on October 25, when security officers in the town of Mendefera started to arrest local Christians whose names were on a list of known Christian church members. A total of thirty-eight men and seventeen women were incarcerated in the town's military fort where they have reportedly been subject to beatings and other physical mistreatment.  Eyewitnesses claim that at least ten of the detained Christians were nursing mothers who were forced to leave their infants behind.

    The following morning, October 26, the roundup continued and an additional ninety-five evangelical Christians were placed under arrest.

    Those arrested included members of Eritrea's five outlawed Protestant churches -- The Church of the Living God, Kile Hiwot, Full Gospel and Rema churches -- as well as active members of the town's Orthodox revival group. At least 162 Christians have been arrested over the past month. These recent arrests push the confirmed number of Eritreans presently imprisoned for their religious beliefs up to 2,078, almost all of them Christians. None of them have been brought to trial.

    Pray that the imprisoned believers will find comfort in the promise that God is with them in their afflictions. Pray that they will be a faithful witness for Christ to their fellow prisoners. Ask that God protects the children left without their parents' care and that the parents will feel reassured in the knowledge of God's promise to care for their little ones in their absence (Psalm 68:5).

    Video interviews from Eritrean believers on the persecution being suffered in their homeland can be found on https://www.vomcanada.com/. For more information on the persecution facing Eritrea's Christians,click here.
  • Two Christians Tortured to Death

    Two Christian prisoners have been tortured to death by Eritrean security police, according to an October 18 report from Compass Direct.

    Immanuel Andegeresgh (23) and Kibrom Firemichel (30) were arrested on Sunday, October 15 while attending a private worship service in the home of Teklezgi Asgerdom. After two days in military confinement, Andegergesh and Firemichael died from torture wounds and severe dehydration.

    A former Eritrean church leader and VOMC spokesman, Bernie Daniel, was familiar with these two men and said:  "I see [their deaths] as a significant escalation of the situation. I just hope and pray that this has been done by some wayward officials in those small towns. But, if it is taken as government policy, it will be, indeed, a very sad and significant escalation."

    Ten other Christians who attended the religious service were also arrested and have reportedly been subject to severe mistreatment. Their current status is not yet known.

    Pray that the families of Immanuel and Kibrom will be comforted by Christ's victory which will reunited with their loved ones (1 Corinthians 15:50-58). Pray that the government leaders will come to respect the rights of all Eritrean citizens to live out their faith (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Pray for the safety of those still in prison. Pray that they will remain faithful in the face of pressure to deny Christ.

    A video interview with Bernie Daniel on this situation is available on VOMC's multimedia website, https://www.vomcanada.com/. For more information on the persecution facing Eritrea's Christians,click here.
  • Imprisoned Gospel Singer Hospitalized

    Popular Eritrean gospel singer, Helen Berhane (31), has been imprisoned since May 2004 after she refused to sign a statement renouncing her Christian faith. Since then she has reportedly been held for extended periods of time in shipping containers and underground cells at the Mai Serwa military camp.

    According to an October 17 report from Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Helen was recently seen in a wheelchair in an Asmara hospital. She is reported to have sustained serious physical mistreatment. She has not been allowed visitors.

    CSW also reports that forty members of the Kale Hiwot Church were detained in the Adi Sebdo suburb of Asmara last week. Ten of those detained were children. When relatives attempted to bring food and blankets to those detained, they were also arrested.

    Continue to pray for the hundreds of Christians detained for their faith in Eritrea. Video reports on the persecution facing Christians in Eritrea can be viewed online at https://www.vomcanada.com/.

Page 8 of 13