Photo via wikipedia.org

Eritrean officials imprison 35 members of underground church

Eritrean officials imprisoned 35 men, women and children belonging to the underground Faith Missions Church on Christmas Eve 2007, reports Jeremy Reynalds, correspondent for ASSIST News Service.

Eritrea is located in Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan.

According to a news release from the human rights group International Christian Concern (ICC), Eritrean officials imprisoned 35 men, women and children belonging to the underground Faith Missions Church on Christmas Eve 2007. Eritrean government security agents raided a building in the port city of Massawa, where the members of the underground church were holding a prayer vigil.

ICC reported that the imprisoned Christians were placed in Weea Military Training Center, and according to ICC sources, are still there.

According to ICC, Weea is one of the most notorious prisons in the country, where the temperature can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Many prisoners die from the heat and the torture inflicted on them. One recent death was that of a Christian woman, Migsti Haile, who died on Sept. 5 2007, after being severely tortured for refusing to recant her faith.

ICC sources from inside Eritrea said that Christians in the town of Agordat have also been imprisoned, as well as six other Faith Missions members from the small town of Nakfa.

Faith Missions is a small evangelical denomination in Eritrea, ICC reported. It has been in existence since the early 1950's. As well as engaging in evangelistic activities, the church used to run orphanages and schools throughout the country. Eritrean officials closed the church in May 2002, forcing it to go underground. Recently, the government of Eritrea has severely targeted denominational adherents.

ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa, Darara Gubo, said in the news release, “Officials of the government of Eritrea have continued to deny the fact that they are restricting freedom of religion in the country. In fact, when a U.S. Congressional delegation led by Donald Payne (D-NJ) visited Eritrea in the beginning of January 2008, they were told by government-controlled religious leaders that there was freedom of religion in Eritrea. The irony is that Eritrea is one of the most oppressive regimes in terms of Christian persecution.”

ICC reported that more than 2,000 evangelical Christians in Eritrea are imprisoned under inhumane conditions. The country’s ruling party follows a communist ideology and highly restricts freedom of religion. The only recognized churches in the country are the Eritrean Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran Evangelical Church.

Even members of the recognized Christian churches are not spared persecution, ICC said. The Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church, Abune Antonios, is under house arrest for resisting government involvement in the church. Other leaders are also imprisoned.

In Nov. 2007, the government of Eritrea expelled 13 Catholic missionaries from the country. Members of the outlawed evangelical churches have been imprisoned or forced to leave the country. Those who remain must worship underground.

ICC asked for prayer for imprisoned Eritrean Christians.

ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that helps persecuted Christians worldwide. It provides humanitarian aid, trains and supports persecuted pastors, raises awareness in the U.S. regarding persecution, and is an advocate for the persecuted on Capitol Hill and the State Department.

New iPad POLL! VOTE NOW! Will you buy new iPad?

[02/08/2008]

Print Version