Sixty evangelical Christians were arrested during a New Year's celebration at the home of one of the leaders of the Rema Charismatic Church in the Eritrean capital of Asmara. According to a January 5 report from Compass Direct, police took the hosts, Habteab Oqbamichel and his wife Letensae, into custody, along with another 23 men and 35 women. Five of the men are reported to be minors. Letensae was released on January 4, but the rest remain in solitary confinement at the Mai-Serwa military camp north of Asmara. This is the third time since May 2003 that Habteab has been arrested.
 |
Christians imprisoned at the Mai-Serwa military camp are routinely held in shipping containers like these. |
Eritrean sources report a marked increase in surveillance in the past three months, since the U.S. State Department designated Eritrea a "country of particular concern" because of its religious rights violations. It is believed that more than four hundred evangelical Christians are presently imprisoned for their faith. Eritrea denies any religious persecution.
After BBC correspondent Jonah Fisher was expelled from Eritrea, he summarized the position of the Eritrean government in this way: "The government seems to have decided that anyone who does not follow a certain standard is an enemy of the people, is an enemy of the state. It is afraid that people who consider their highest allegiance to be God, at some point may not be patriotic and follow the state's instructions."
Pray for spiritual and physical strength for these and the hundreds of other believers suffering torture for their faith in Eritrea.
For more information on the persecution facing Christians in Eritrea, click here. Last year, The Voice of the Martyrs produced a video report on conditions facing Christians in Eritrea. Go to the video section of PersecutionTV to review. Registration is required, but membership is free.
Population
