ICC Note:
Eritrea is one the most repressive nations in the world. It does not allow any information into or out of the country that it thinks does not fit within its own beliefs. Earlier this year, the government went door to door and arrested over 100 people that it suspected of being evangelical Christians. They have been held in captivity ever since. Just yesterday one of those arrested, Fikadu Dabesay, a mother of three died while still in captivity according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide. There are literally hundreds of Christians who are being held without charges and who will continue to be held as long as the evil regime continues to hold sway over its people.
08/15/2017 Eritrea (ChristianTimes) –
A mother of three who was arrested in May during the ongoing crackdown against Evangelical Christians in Eritrea has died in jail last week.
Fikadu Debesay, who was detained along with her husband in May, died last week in Metkel Abiet, a desert camp in the Northern Red Sea Region.
According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), the cause of Debesay’s death is still unknown, but Metkiel Abiet, where she had been detained, is located in an area known for its oppressive heat and aridity. The Christian mother, who was arrested in the raid in Adi Quala town, was buried on Aug. 10 in Mendefera.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this painful time. We think particularly of her children, who are mourning their mother in the absence of their detained father, and of the other children whose parent or parents are unjustly incarcerated,” said CSW Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas.
Debesay and her husband were arrested during the campaign of house-to-house raids targeting members of non-sanctioned churches in several towns in Eritrea in May this year.
The crackdown on unregistered Christian sects has been ongoing since May 2002, when the Eritrean government enacted a law banning religious practices not affiliated with the Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran and Orthodox Christian denominations or Sunni Islam.
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