Compass Direct is reporting that, in separate arrests on November 23, Pastor Iyob and seven of his parishioners of the Kale Hiwot Church in the town of Mendefera, Eritrea were taken into custody. Friends and families have been unable to officially confirm the charges against them but local sources claim that their only crime is their evangelical Christian faith.
The November 25 report from Compass Direct also confirmed that ten young women from various Pentecostal churches had been recently arrested at Sawa, a military training camp near the Sudanese border.
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This past summer, over sixty young people were arrested and tortured at Sawa for possessing Bibles (see https://www.vomcanada.com/er-2003-08-27.htm). Six of these young people are still believed to be in isolation cells at the camp.
Earlier this month, two women were released after 21 months in the Assab military prison for participating in banned evangelical worship meetings.
With the latest arrests, the number of evangelical Christians reported to be in prison for their faith is estimated to be at least 334. Prison officials regularly use torture, deprivation and threats in attempts to force them to retract their evangelical beliefs. These arrests are part of a continuing effort to close all unauthorized churches. Only the Orthodox, Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran and Muslim faiths are recognized as "official" religions in Eritrea.
Pray for the strength for Christians to stand firm in their faith despite the continuing oppression. Pray that this campaign against evangelicals in Eritrea will stop and that freedom to worship and believe will be recognized.
The Voice of the Martyrs would urge you to write a polite letter to the Eritrean embassy or consulate in your country, protesting their mistreatment of evangelical Christians. You can find contact information at http://www.un.int/eritrea/world.
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