Evening prayer raided by Eritrean authorities

Eritrea (MNN/ODM) ― Eritrean authorities arrested 30 members of the Church of the Living God gathered for evening prayer on August 24.

The Christians were located in the Kushet suburb of the capital Asmara. Their group includes 12 women.

Map of Eritrea. (Photo courtesy
of the CIA World Factbook)

Sources with Open Doors USA say the Christians are being held at Police Station 5 in Asmara and are under pressure to recant their faith.

Since the beginning of the year, the religious atmosphere in Eritrea has deteriorated with authorities arresting at least 261 Christians.

Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have reported that the government of Eritrea continues to incarcerate prisoners under inhumane conditions.

Officials continue to deny access to organizations like The Red Cross to investigate the state of prisons.

"The Church in Eritrea is deeply saddened by the continued scrutiny and distrust from the government and highly appreciates the prayers of our brothers and sisters around the globe," commented an Open Doors source who remains anonymous for security reasons.

Eritrea is ranked 10th out of 50 countries for extreme persecution of Christians on the Open Doors 2013 World Watch List. Evangelical churches in Eritrea were closed in 2002 after a government ban on religions other than Orthodox, Lutheran, Catholic and Islam.

Please pray for religious freedom in Eritrea and for the arrested Christians to be released.

Spotlight on religious freedom chief highlights problems in Eritrea

(Images courtesy Open Doors)

Eritrea (ODM/MNN) ― The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has a new chair: Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University and a Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School.

As focus turned to function, the leaders of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom say that religious liberty is an "essential element" of human dignity and that its protection deserves prominence in U.S. foreign policy.

The State Department and the religious freedom commission both named Burma, North Korea, Eritrea, Iran, China, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Uzbekistan as "countries of particular concern."

It's a designation that Eritrea both disputes and ignores. However, there have been multiple reports of a widespread crackdown on Christians this year, especially for those outside the state-approved churches.
While children were once considered exempt from it, that's not the case anymore, says Jerry Dykstra, a spokesman for Open Doors USA. "We believe there's been about 200 Christians that have been incarcerated in military camps. That includes 39 students who had just completed the training for military and for schooling. They were not allowed to go forward. Instead, they were arrested because of their ‘Christian beliefs.'"

According to a statement on the official Eritrean Ministry of Information Web site, 17,000 students of the 26th national service intake graduated on July 13. All of these students had successfully completed eight months of academic studies and four months mandatory military training, according to the announcement. These students will now proceed to Senior Secondary school to complete grade 12.

The group of 39 was taken to the Sawa Military training center. Sources told Open Doors that the arrests came as a result of the students' "Christian beliefs and for their commitment to Christ." Dykstra says, "They now face beatings, hard labor, lack of food and water. But if they renounce Christ, then they can go back to their studies."

Since the beginning of the year, Christians belonging to groups outside of the government sanctioned Orthodox, Catholic, and Lutheran churches have faced a widespread arrest campaign. More than 200 men and women of various ages have been arrested since the beginning of the year, he adds. "They have no judicial system. In other words, they're arrested, there are never any charges, there is no trial. They just disappear into thin air."

One 85-year-old woman is being held in a shipping container and has contracted pneumonia. She is still being refused medical attention because she will not agree to camp authorities' terms for receiving medicine. Military training forms part of the Eritrean curriculum. But after completing school, all Eritreans must also do national service.

Since 2002, worship has been forbidden outside the government-sanctioned Sunni Muslim, Eritrean Orthodox Church (EOC), Roman Catholic, and Evangelical Lutheran Church of Eritrea, with Protestant worship a criminal offense. In 2005, authorities also began persecuting the EOC, particularly those in the church's renewal movement. The flip side, Dykstra observes, is that "where there is hostility toward the church, Christ spreads the church and grows it. That's what's happening in Eritrea."

The fact that it's a seemingly sanctioned campaign is disconcerting, at best. "A government official stated that there are three things that need to be eradicated from Eritrea: HIV/AIDs, the regime of arch-enemy Ethiopia, and independent Christians." At least 105 Christians were arrested in 2012, and 31 Christians were reported to have died in prison.

Dykstra goes on to say that it's likely to get worse before it gets better. There's a new peril. "Another growing threat is the rise of the Muslim terrorists in the country, besides the government. We've seen the increase of that over the past year."

Pray for God's strength for Christians imprisoned in containers, especially those arrested in 2012. Pray for spouses and families who are forced to live as refugees in different countries, and for worldwide awareness of the plight of Eritrean Christians.

Persecuted death in Eritrean prison

(Photo courtesy of Aap Haapanen/Flickr)

Eritrea (MNN/ODM) ― Open Doors USA recently learned about the death of another Christian in an Eritrean prison.

Yosief Kebedom Gelai, a recently converted single Christian, died in Medefera July 5.

Sources told Open Doors that Yosief, 41, had been sick for a long time, but that the harsh treatment at a secret Medefera incarceration center aggravated the effects of the unknown disease.

Eritrea ranks #10 on the Open Doors World Watch List of countries with the worst persecution of believers. Yosief is the 24th reported death connected to punishment for religious activities outside of the government-sanctioned Catholic Church, Orthodox Church, Lutheran Church, and Islam.

However, because of the government's secrecy surrounding prisoners and denied access to watchdog organizations, there may be many more deaths and burials that have not been reported.

Yosief was originally from Asmara. He went to Mendefera to teach at a primary school some time prior to his arrest. Six months after his arrival, Yosief came to faith in Christ. His devotion to Bible study and prayer caught the attention of representatives of the ruling Eritrean People's Front for Democracy and Justice (EPRDF) at the school.

Authorities arrested him in December and took him to the secret incarceration center in Mendefera where he was kept incommunicado. Sources told Open Doors the center holds many other religious prisoners whose whereabouts were previously unknown to family members and churches.

"Christians should be hugely encouraged to see how God through His Holy Spirit enables His children even new--and isolated ones like Yosief--to remain firm in their devotion to Christ no matter the circumstances," commented an Open Doors team member.

Please pray for other Christians incarcerated in Eritrean prisons. Pray for the Holy Spirit to give believers strength and peace.

You can be an encouragement to persecuted believers by supporting the ministry of Open Doors. Learn more about their work in oppressive countries.

Eritrean campaign against churches continues

(Images courtesy Compass Direct News, Open Doors)

Eritrea (MNN) ― A mild tremor in Eritrea's façade rippled through the government last month.
A brief and quickly-ended coup attempt executed by dissident soldiers did little to provoke an uprising. It was over before it really began.

However, it did give rise to two thoughts: (1) the government was dealing with discontent, and (2) due to the heightened tension, anyone who fell outside the prescribed government lines was under scrutiny.

The latter was particularly true for Christians, who voiced expectation of a spike in harassment and oppression. True to form, the government obliged. Paul Estabrooks, Open Doors Minister-at-large, explains that on February 20, "Seven more believers were arrested. Three of them work for the telecom company, one is a university student, and there was one woman among the seven--a mother of five."

The government only allows Catholic, Orthodox, and Evangelical Lutheran churches. As to why Eritrea's government seems to focus on evangelical and Pentecostal Christians, Estabrooks suggests, "For some reason--and it's suspected that it's to do with a perception of evangelical Christianity being aligned with America, the government has decided that it's illegal to worship in any [denomination] other than those three."

Open Doors partners say that officials arrived during office hours at the Eritrean Telecommunications Corporation and took into custody employees: Petros Araya, Aster Ghermay, and Ferewini Hagos.

At the same time, university student Daniel Mesfin, and another Christian--Samson Tekle, were both taken from their homes in the Mai-Temenai district northeast of Asmara. Open Doors has learned that these two men have both only recently come to faith in Christ.

Officials also collected Haile Gebremiskel Wodi Keshi from his home. He is married and the father of three. Azib Hadgu--a married woman and mother of five--was taken from her small store in Asmara.

Their well-being remains unknown, says Estabrooks. "We don't know where they're being held, or where they'll be moved to. They don't have enough prison cells in Eritrea for that many prisoners, so they keep them in shipping containers." Estimates are that there are 1500-3000 Christians being held this way.

Worse yet, the legal system isn't protecting the rights of the Christians, either. "There never is a court case in these situations. They don't have any chance to defend themselves, so they are simply charged with ‘worshipping outside prescribed church denominational facilities.'"

Sometimes, the detention is used to try to force a Christian to recant. Open Doors partners have shared reports in which survivors revealed the pressure they faced. "All these people have to do is sign a document that they will no longer be evangelical Christians, they'll no longer follow Jesus, and they'll be released immediately. 'Just sign the document, and you're free.' And yet, our brothers and sisters refuse to sign that document and remain in these terrible prison conditions."

The harsh treatment of Christians hasn't escaped notice. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has designated Eritrea as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for several years. Systematic and ongoing religious freedom violations continue. The report says these violations include: torture or other ill-treatment of thousands of religious prisoners; arbitrary arrests and detentions without charges of members of unregistered religious groups; a prolonged ban on public religious activities; revocation of citizenship rights of Jehovah‘s Witnesses; interference in the internal affairs of registered religious groups; and inordinate delays in responding to registration applications from religious groups.

"Every time we hear about believers being taken to prison, we wonder with the Psalmist, 'How long O, Lord?' But the one comfort that we all have in the Lord is that the gates of hell shall not prevail against Christ and His Church.... We need to continue crying to the Lord for help. Our help comes from Him alone," commented an Open Doors source who remains anonymous for security reasons.

Estabrooks urges prayer for these Christians. "Ask God to bring justice to their situation and faithfulness to those who are finding themselves in these terrible prison situations in Eritrea." Also remember the 40 believers arrested since January 1.

To coup, or not to coup?

Eritrean prison camps (Photos by Open Doors)

Eritrea (MNN) ― The buzz word people are using to describe Eritrea's events over the last 48 hours is "coup," but do the signs match an actual coup d'état?

By the government's admission, it was a takeover effort, however small, however failed. Todd Nettleton, a spokesman for the Voice of the Martyrs USA, explains, "Some soldiers surrounded the Ministry of Information in the capital city of Asmara on Monday. They forced a minister to read a statement on State TV in Eritrea. However, it seems that he only got a few sentences into the statement before the TV broadcast signal was cut."

Government troops quelled the would-be rebellion before it got started. However, in a tightly-controlled regime like Eritrea, Nettleton notes, "It seems to be sort of a ‘blip' on the radar, but the fact that there were soldiers acting directly against the government perhaps is a sign of building unrest within Eritrea. Who knows what it means for the future?"

That begs the question of what the else calm facade is hiding. What of the fate of the mutinous soldiers? Nettleton says, "I certainly would not want to be one of these soldiers now, after they have surrendered, because we know that the situation in Eritrean prisons  for Christians is desperate, and obviously, for political enemies of the regime."

The soldiers' demands were two-fold: "They wanted to return to the parameters that were laid down in the constitution of 1997. It also said that they wanted to release political prisoners."

Since independence in 1993, Eritrea has been a one-party state. The government has come under fire by human rights watchdogs who call the regime one of the world's most repressive. That's an assessment Open Doors agrees with.

Open Doors, which comes alongside the persecuted church, keeps tabs on the world's 50 worst countries known for their oppression of Christians. On that list, Eritrea ranks 10th. And that's not a number likely to change for the better in the near future, says Open Doors' spokesman Jerry Dykstra.

In fact, he says just hours before news of the failed coup, "At least 10 leaders of the churches (banned by the government ten years ago) have been rounded up in the past day or two."

Eritrean opposition activists exiled in neighboring Ethiopia said there was growing dissent within the Eritrean military, especially over economic hardships. Of the coup, Nettleton says it might be the first crack in the mask. "The fact that this [involves] soldiers and people in the military, that seems to say that the disenchantment with the leadership there is spreading." He adds, "I think the message that I would take from it is that Eritrea's people are not happy being oppressed under the hand of the president."

Then, there's word that the health of the current president, Isaias Afewerki, is worsening. That might not actually be a positive swing for the oppressed Christians, though, Dykstra reflects. "There is some sense from Open Doors researchers that perhaps a form of radical Islam may take over the country with the death of the president." In short, Eritrea's Christians could find themselves facing a situation similar to those Christians in the newly re-formed Egypt.

As such, church leaders fear that this particular campaign is far more serious because it wants to "eradicate the underground church by targeting its key leaders around the country." If that's true, the death tolls will start climbing. Dykstra says already, "31 Christians died in prisons last year. It's kind of hard to put an estimate on the number of Christians in prison. Last year, it was [estimated] at around 1200."

According to Open Doors, since news of the renewed systematic arrests emerged, several church leaders have gone into hiding for a second time in only a few months. According to trusted sources close to the events in Eritrea, church leaders have remained in good spirits despite these pressures.

For Christians in Eritrea, the past few months have been somewhat of a roller-coaster ride. After the death of the Ethiopian Prime Minister in August last year, there was heightened tension in Eritrea. Christians testified that talk of renewed fighting between Eritrea and Ethiopia after the demise of one of their long-time rivals led to a very grim atmosphere.

There were reports of the government circulating rifles to households in case war broke out. Some Christians described those months of uncertainty as their darkest night while praying earnestly for the light of a new dawn for their country. Nettleton says, "We want to pray for the church as a whole. One of the great challenges is existing in a situation where no public services are allowed. Anytime Christians gather together--evangelical Christians, it's not legal."

Timing now on outreach work will be critical. Anyone viewed as an enemy could be more at-risk for trouble. Nettleton explains, "The president of Eritrea will be watching this and saying, ‘We need to get a handle on this quickly,' which in the short term, perhaps, is going to mean more oppression and more control. It's hard to say at this point what this means."

Dykstra says with circumstances so uncertain, "They're asking for our prayers because of this situation, especially with the loss of the leadership of the 10 Christian leaders."

Eritrea finally slammed for human rights violations

Shipping containers to hold Christians in Eritrea.

Eritrea (MNN) ― The conclusion of the 20th United Nations session on Friday meant a historic victory for human rights in Eritrea. The U.N. Human Rights Council officially adopted a resolution on Eritrea and approved a mandate for a Special Rapporteur to report on the rights situation, according to ASSIST News Service.

This is the first resolution the HRC has adopted on Eritrea despite a muddy past of religious and human rights violations. This resolution may finally be placing Eritrea on the international radar, says Todd Nettleton with Voice of the Martyrs.

"It is a small country. It is not an economic power-house by any stretch. So the world has essentially turned a blind eye and not paid attention to the human rights abuses that have gone on in Eritrea," says Nettleton.

VOM, on the other hand, has paid very close attention to the violations in Eritrea--and with good reason. In 2002, the Eritrean government called church leaders together to tell them their churches would no longer be permitted to meet. A few larger organizations such as the Catholic church, Orthodox Church, and Islamic mosques were still permitted to meet, but smaller groups of believers were forbidden to gather.

Since then, says Nettleton, "Thousands of Eritrean Christians have been arrested. They've been put into the jail system or the military prison system. Some of them have been held in shipping containers literally without running water, without a bathroom--just locked in a shipping container."

Christians are essentially arrested just for being Christ-followers.

"Not a single Christian has been formally charged with any crime," Nettleton explains. "Not a single Christian has been put on trial, has been allowed to have an attorney. None of that. They simply have disappeared into the prison system."

Some have been released months or years later. Others are never heard from again.

Such severe treatment has placed Eritrea at #11 on the Open Doors World Watch List for nations actively persecuting believers. Christian Solidarity Worldwide's Team Leader for Africa and the Middle East, Khataza Gondwe, calls Eritrea's human rights crimes "among the most severe and under-reported in the world."

This new HRC resolution, however, could help change Eritrea's oppressive tune. It has already drawn extra attention since this is the first time that African countries (Somalia, Nigeria and Djibouti) have submitted a resolution on anther African state.

During the last decade of extreme persecution, the Gospel has been moving forward in Eritrea. Believers have not stopped sharing the Good News. But Nettleton points out, "It is coming at a terrible price." Perhaps this resolution will lessen the cost.

Pray that this resolution would be successful and that it would help create instill a miraculous heart change in the hearts of Eritrean government officials. Continue to pray in the meantime for the thousands of believers who remain in chains for their faith.

You can encourage believers imprisoned in Eritrea with letters.Click here to write. 

Mission Network News

Mission Network News: "Eritrea (MNN) ― After being denied even the most basic of needs, three Christians died in Eritrean military camps over the last few weeks.

Open Doors, USA"

Read more...

Two more Christians die in Eritrea's military camps

Story photo from Compass Direct: Shipping containers used for detaining Christians. [Cover photo from Google Maps: Satellite view of Dekemhare]


Eritrea (MNN) ― Eritrea's crackdown on Christians has claimed two more lives.
The country (ranked 12^th on the Open Doors World Watch List) is known for its brutal hostility and indifference toward believers they arrest. Ministry partners of Open Doors have sent reports indicating the conditions detainees endure are inhumane, i.e.- gross neglect in shipping containers in the dessert and military detention camps, as well as torture.

Open Doors USA CEO Carl Moeller says, "Two young women, 23 and 27 -- Hiwet  Tesfu and Zemame Mehari -- were reported to have died in one of these military camps." They had been in the ALLA military camp for two years and three months.

Their plight was largely ignored on the international stage, as similar cases have been. "Both of these women had apparently been in ill health," says Moeller. "They were repeatedly tortured. They had been repeatedly denied medical treatment." They were buried at the military camp.

The women were arrested in April 2009 for attending a prayer meeting in Dekemhare, 15 kilometers from ALLA Military Camp southeast of Asmara. Both Open Doors and Compass Direct News reports show that at the time of their arrest, prayer and similar Christian meetings were being arranged by groups of young believers in the military service.

However, the government maintains that it has no religious prisoners in custody. Moeller dismisses that claim as semantics. "They don't recognize these evangelical or Pentecostal sects as ‘religious' institutions or organizations; therefore, when they arrest them, it's for holding illegal activities or illegal meetings. So, when they're held, they're not holding ‘religious' prisoners: they're holding ‘social' and ‘political' prisoners."

Since 2002, the government has cracked down on all but the traditional Orthodox, Catholic, or Lutheran churches and certain branches of Islam.
Tesfu and Mehari are the 17^th and 18^th Christians known to have died while serving time for their faith in one of Eritrea's harsh detention centres. They are the fourth and fifth Christian deaths confirmed in the ALLA Military Camp.

There are reports of thousands of believers in similar conditions, and very few, if any, have actually been charged since their arrest. Given the government reaction to Christians, it might seem logical that this treatment produces a "chilling effect" for Gospel workers. Yet, the opposite seems to be true, says Moeller. "When they see Christians willing to go to prison, willing to die, willing to be tortured for this religion, it creates an undeniable thirst for understanding what that faith is about."
 
The great paradox, Moeller notes, is that "it is sometimes exactly those places where the situation is the most desperate that we see the growth of the church most dramatically. I believe it's because that in the midst of the crucible of persecution, Christians are continuing to stand up."

Please continue to pray for Christians all over Eritrea who are suffering dearly for their Christian beliefs. Pray for godly wisdom, perseverance, and God's protection in their lives. Pray that Christians across the world would open up their hearts for these persecuted believers, continuing to pray and advocate earnestly for them.

Eritrea imprisons more Christians

Screen grab from Google Maps
(Adi-Nefase military camp, Eritrea)

Eritrea (MNN) ― Open Doors says Eritrean military officials have rounded up another group of evangelical Christians this week.

Authorities arrested 35 believers on July 3 on suspicion of gathering for worship in Assab, a port city. The group, which included 17 women, was taken to the Adi-Nefase military camp near Assab, a notoriously harsh detention center. 

  

Open Doors also reports that 25 Christian students from Mai-Nefhi Educational Institution (roughly 12 miles southwest of Asmara) have been released on bail in order to sit for their final exams. They may have been part of a group of students arrested at the beginning of June for "unpatriotic behavior." Sources in the country expect the students to be taken back into custody as soon as their exams have been completed.

Meanwhile, government pressures continue on the sanctioned Orthodox, Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran and Islamic groups to enroll their religious workers under the age of 30 for compulsory military training. All but the Catholic Church have complied, protesting that in the past, church workers were exempted from military service because of their religious duties.

Despite these stories and others about open persecution, the government continues to support its statement issued in May 2003 that "no groups or persons are persecuted in Eritrea for their beliefs or religion."

Eritrea ranks 12^th on the Open Doors 2011 World Watch List, a compilation of the top 50 countries where persecution of Christians is the worst.

That said, believers in Eritrea ask for prayer for their country, where at least 1,000 religious prisoners endure harrowing incarceration conditions country-wide. According to Voice of the Martyrs Canada,of the Christians in detention, "not one has yet been charged with a crime or faced trial."

Pray that the government will stop the campaign against evangelicals and will allow freedom of religion for all.