Eritrean Govt. Unlawfully Detains Eleven Christians for Their Faith

Some of the Christian prisoners in Eritrea (File Photo)

By:
Success Kanayo Uchime

29/10/2010

It’s very disheartening to note the kind of inhuman treatments Christians undergo in Eritrea just because they’ve decided to practice their faith. The attention of the international community should be drawn to this immediately.

Commenting on this latest development of the arrest of eleven Christians in that country, the Regional Manager of Africa and South Asia, International Christian Concern (ICC) (www.persecution.org) Jonathan Racho, a Washington, D.C. based Christian advocacy group said that on October 20, Eritrean government officials arrested the Christians and took them to unknown locations.

He noted that the Eritrean security officials rounded off the Christians from the cities of Mendefera, Dekemharre and Dibarwa following an order given by Mustafa Nurhussein, the governor of the Southern Zone (province) of Eritrea. The governor ordered a crackdown on Christians living in his province.

“The security officials also confiscated TVs, video players and other electronic equipment that belonged to the Christians,” he stated.

Racho observed that most of the detained belong to the Full Gospel Church, an evangelical church that was among those that were banned by Eritrean officials in 2002 adding that Eritrea only recognizes four religious groups: Islam, the Eritrean Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran Evangelical Church of Eritrea.

He further stated: “Even members of the recognized Christian groups have not escaped persecution. In May 2007, Eritrean officials deposed Abune Antonios, patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church and put him under house arrest. The patriarch and several other members of the church still remain in custody.”
He said that the communist government officials of Eritrea have detained more than three thousand Christians, keeping them under inhumane conditions. The Christians are imprisoned in metal shipping containers, military barracks and underground dungeons and that many Christians have died inside the prisons due to torture and harsh prison conditions.

“We are saddened to hear about the detention of the 11 Christians. Eritrean officials have continued to mistreat Christians in the country for choosing to practice their faith. We ask Eritrea to immediately release the 11 Christians and the more than 3000 others who are illegally detained. Where is the outcry from the international community for the plight of Christians in Eritrea?” Racho queried.

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