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Thursday, January 13, 2005

ERITREA: SEVERE PERSECUTION CONTINUES

By Elizabeth Kendal
World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission (WEA RLC)
Special to ASSIST News Service

AUSTRALIA (ANS) -- Over recent years, Eritrea has become one of the world's most serious abusers of religious liberty and persecutors of Christians. 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. In May 2002 he banned all Christian groups apart from the Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Evangelical Lutheran denominations. This instantly made numerous independent, Full Gospel, Pentecostal, AoG, Presbyterian, and mission churches illegal, 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. Information is leaked out at great personal risk. Pastors of banned groups report they are under intense police surveillance at all times.

On the night of 31 December 2004, police arrested Pastor Habteab Oqbamichel and his wife Letensae, along with another 23 men and 35 women (all members of the Rema Charismatic Church in the Eritrean capital of Asmara) celebrating the New Year in Oqbamichel's home. Compass Direct reports that though Letensae was later released, the other believers are now detained in the Mai-Serwa military camp just north of Asmara.

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. The authorities also use torture, trying to make them renounce their evangelical faith.

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. 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.

Christian news services (particularly Compass Direct), Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the BBC have reported Eritrea's persecution of Christians. Significantly, the US Department of State now lists Eritrea as a 'Country of Particular Concern' for severely violating religious liberty. Obtusely, the Eritrean government keeps denying that any religious minorities are persecuted.

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR:
those engaged in the cruel treatment and torture of believers to be deeply affected by the faith they witness, to the point of repentance and transformation.

the Holy Spirit to bless the politically powerful Eritrean Orthodox Church (which is complicit in this persecution) with a spirit of mourning repentance that leads to renewal, Christ-honouring reconciliation, and effective solidarity. '...in wrath remember mercy.' (Habakkuk 3:2 NIV)

the Holy Spirit to sustain those who have 'disappeared' or are in solitary confinement, counselling and guiding them into all truth (John 16): they are never alone – HE is with them. 'And this is my covenant with them [the Redeemed],' says the Lord. 'My Spirit will not leave them...' (Isaiah 59:20-21 NLT)

all those believers incarcerated in appalling unsanitary conditions in metal shipping containers and suffering torture simply for their faith in and obedience to Jesus Christ; may they be strengthened and sustained to spiritual victory, for the defeat of the evil one, and the glory of God.

Elizabeth Kendal is the Principal Researcher and Writer for the World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission (WEA RLC) www.worldevangelical.org/rlc.html. This article was initially written for the WEA RLP(Religious Liberty Prayer) mailing list

Elizabeth can be contacted by e-mail at rl-research@crossnet.org.au.

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