Severe Persecution Continues in Eritrea

''Over recent years, Eritrea has become one of the world's most serious abusers of religious liberty and persecutors of Christians''

By Kenneth Chan, Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Over recent years, Eritrea has become one of the world's most serious abusers of religious liberty and persecutors of Christians, according to the Religious Liberty Commission of a global network representing some 150 million Christians in 115 countries.

“More than 400 believers of all ages are presently incarcerated under the most appalling conditions: in solitary cells, in secret prisons for the 'disappeared', and in overcrowded metal shipping containers that are plagued by infectious diseases such as diarrhea,” reported the World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission (RLC) in a religious prayer bulletin released today. “The authorities also use torture, trying to make them renounce their evangelical faith.”

In the most recent incident, police arrested sixty members of the Rema Charismatic Church in the Eritrean capital of Asmara on Dec. 31 as they celebrated the New Year in the home of the church’s pastor. Compass Direct reports that though the pastor’s wife was later released, the other believers are now detained in the Mai-Serwa military camp just north of Asmara.

Also, Haile Naizgi and Dr Kifle Gebremeski (chairman of the Eritrean Evangelical Alliance), who are senior leaders in the Full Gospel Church, and Pastor Tesfatsion Hagos of the Rema Evangelical Church remain 'disappeared', presumably in one of Eritrea's secret prisons. Meanwhile sources say popular Christian singer Helen Berhane has been jailed alone in a metal shipping container at Mai-Serwa military camp since last May for refusing to renounce her faith.

“When President Issayas Afewerki cracked down on all political dissent in September 2001, he also closed all private media, leaving the oppressed without a voice,” the RLC stated.

In addition, in May 2002, Afewrki banned all Christian groups apart from the Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Evangelical Lutheran denominations, instantly making numerous independent, Full Gospel, Pentecostal, Assemblies of God, Presbyterian, and mission churches illegal, thus affecting thousands of believers. All religious activities—Bible reading, home fellowships, prayer groups—are illegal if not linked with one of the three officially approved denominations. Pastors of banned groups report they are under intense police surveillance at all times.

Christian news services, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the BBC have reported Eritrea's persecution of Christians. Significantly, the U.S. State Department now lists Eritrea as a 'Country of Particular Concern' for severely violating religious liberty, claiming that it violates religious rights and severely restricts freedom of worship. However, the Eritrean government has rejected the claim and continues to deny that any religious minorities are persecuted.