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.

  • Country Information

    Population
    6,274,796 (2023 est.)

    Ethnicity (%)
    Tigrinya (50), Tigre (30), Saho (4), Afar (4) Kunama (4), Bilen (3), other (5)

    Religion (%)
    Islam (47.4), Christianity (48.8), other (3.8)

    Leader
    President Isaias Afworki (1993)

    Government type
    Presidential republic

    Legal system
    Mixed legal system of civil, customary, and Islamic religious law

    Sources: CIA World Factbook, Operation World

  • Pray for Eritrea

    Ask the Lord to provide imprisoned Eritrean believers a means of escape and a place of safe refuge. Pray for Him to also work deeply in the hearts of the country's governing officials so they will grant His people the freedom to worship Him and glorify His matchless name. Mindful of their own human frailties, may these political leaders realize the need to make Jesus their own personal Saviour and Lord by accepting His gift of eternal salvation.

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Eritrea News

  • Christians Imprisoned for 20 Years Without Charge
    Rev G. Gebregiorgis, Kiflu Gebremeskel, Futsum Gebrenegus, Meron Gebreselasie, Tekleab Mengisteab, Haile Nayzgi
    Photos: Christian Solidarity Worldwide / Human
    Rights Concern Eritrea / Release Eritrea

    On May 23rd, 2004, Eritrean authorities arrested two pastors from the Full Gospel Church in Eritrea: Dr. Kiflu Gebremeskel and Pastor Haile Nayzgi. The arrests were made in response to a government ban instituted in 2002 against all but four of the country's religious communities. Throughout 2004, arrests continued against pastors of the banned organization, which consisted of between 120 and 150 home church congregations at the time. Pastor Meron Gebreselasie was arrested in June 2004. Then in November of that year, Dr. Futsum Gebrenegus, Dr. Tekleab Mengisteab and Rev. Gebremedhin Gebregiorgis were also detained.

    Read more...

  • Recent Passing of Imprisoned Church Leader
    Reverend Ghirmay Araya
    Reverend Ghirmay Araya
    Photo: Release Eritrea

    Reverend Ghirmay Araya was one of the founders of the Full Gospel Church in Eritrea. Under the country's oppressive regime, the denomination was banned in 2002 and its senior leaders were imprisoned in 2004. Over the decades since, thousands of other Eritreans have been imprisoned for their faith, often enduring torture and inhumane treatment.

    Read more...

  • At Least 30 Arrested at a Birthday Gathering
    A birthday cake with a candle in the shape of the numeral
     

    On January 20th, 30 Christian adults, plus an unknown number of children, were arrested in Eritrea when police raided a party that was held in celebration of an infant's first birthday. The incident took place in the capital city of Asmara at the home of a Christian couple who was hosting a gathering of family and friends to celebrate the birthday of their firstborn child.

    Read more...

  • More Christian Youth Released from Prison
    A microphone is in the foreground and an open laptop is in the background.

    In April 2023, more than 100 talented Christian young people, who are members of a musical group known as the Mahalians, were arrested after recording songs of praise which they had intended to share on YouTube. The government deemed their recording session to be an illegal church gathering. For more details, go to this page.

    Read more...

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Eritrea Videos

 
Eritrea: Christians Arrested Amid Latest Government Crackdown
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Eritrea: The North Korea of Africa
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Eritrea: Ongoing Arrests of Evangelical Christians
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Andrew Boyd on Arrests in Eritrea
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Eritrea: Finding Joy in Prison
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Eritrea: Dr. Berhane Ashmelash with Greg Musselman
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