Mass arrests of Christians continue in Eritrea

The Eritrean government bans all
Christian groups that do not belong to a
state-approved church.

Eritrean officials have arrested at least 90 Christians in recent months, including many college students, reports Release Eritrea and our sister missions, VOM USA and Release International.

In May, authorities detained 64 believers in Adi Abeyto, a village near the capital, Asmara. Only six of the 90 arrested have been released. The others are thought to be held at a police station or in the notorious Mitire military prison.

It is not clear why the Christians were detained, but college students have reportedly been arrested in recent weeks for refusing to take part in celebrations for the country's Independence Day (May 24). For example, 26 students from the Mai-Mefhi College of Technology were arrested in June and detained at an unknown location.

In 2002, the Eritrean government banned all Christian groups that do not belong to a state-approved church. Since then, thousands of Christians have been imprisoned. Sixteen are known to have died in custody.

You can help by praying!

• Pray Eritreans imprisoned for Christ will be released.
• Pray Eritrean Christians will remain steadfast in faith, lovingly proclaiming Christ both inside and outside of prison walls.
• Pray those who persecute Christians in Eritrea will repent of their ways and come to faith in Christ.

Arrests continue in Eritrea

Our sister mission VOM USA posted a story about arrests continuing in Eritrea (sourcing Release International, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Release Eritrea and VOM sources).

Read it here:

Eritrea: Arrests Continue

Ninety Christians have been arrested in Eritrea in the last two months, as authorities continue a campaign against Christians that began in December. Six of the 90 arrested have been released, but the location of the other 84 is unknown.

On June 2, 2011, police arrested 26 college students from Mai-Mefhi College of Technology. Students were not given a reason for their arrest, but Release Eritrea reports that the students may have been arrested because they did not participate in Independence Day Celebrations. In May, 64 Christians in a village near the Eritrean capital of Asmara were arrested and detained at Asmara’s 6th Police Station.

Sources believe the arrested Christians either remain at the police station or have been moved to Mitire Prison in northeastern Eritrea. Mitire is a remote military prison that is notorious for torture and its harsh living and working conditions. Former Mitire prisoners told Christian Solidarity Worldwide that Mitire is an open-air facility in the desert, where prisoners are terrified by poisonous snakes. Prisoners receive very little food and are forced to work constructing buildings for officers. Because there are no medical facilities, most prisoners leave Mitire after they become too sick to work.

In May 2002, the government of Eritrea banned all Christian groups that do not belong to officially recognized churches. As a result, the Eritrean government has imprisoned several thousand Christians, making the country one of the harshest persecutors of Christians in the world. Many Christians imprisoned in 2002 remain in detention and have never gone before a court. At least 16 Eritrean Christians have died in custody since May 2002, mostly due to torture, treatable illnesses and malnutrition.

Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Eritrea!