2/8/2021 Eritrea (International Christian Concern)- 70 Christians have been set free from three separate Eritrean prisons, according to a Christian Solidarity Worldwide report.
On February 1st, the government released 21 female and 43 male Christians who had been imprisoned without trial anywhere from two to 12 years.
On January 27th, six women were released after being arrested for worshipping while walking down a public street this past September.
There are an estimated 500 Christian prisoners of faith in Eritrea, a country ruled by a military dictatorship which outlawed every form of religion except Islam, Orthodox Christianity, Roman Catholicism and the Lutheran Church. When arrested, persecuted Christians often disappear without a trace, leaving their loved ones with no information on their whereabouts or safety. Prison conditions are some of the harshest in the world, with inmates kept in shipping containers and believers often tortured in an attempt to get them to renounce their faith.
While we rejoice for the newly found freedom of our brothers and sisters in Eritrea, there is reason to believe that the country is hoping such news will shift international attention away from the atrocities being committed in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. Eritrean troops are currently being accused of participating in serious human rights violations and violence that may amount to genocide. It is of vital importance that we pray for both persecuted Christians living in Eritrea, as well as for the victims of war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region.
For interviews please contact Alison Garcia at press@persecution.org.
