Christians in ERITREA

Eritrea

Escalating a two-year government crackdown against Christians,

police recently jailed three prominent pastors and a popular Christian
singer.

To date, none of the believers have been charged as required by law
within 48 hours of arrest, Compass Direct reported.


Haile Naizgi, chairman of the Full Gospel Church,

and Dr. Kifle Gebremeskel, chairman of the Eritrean Evangelical
Alliance,

were arrested at their homes in Asmara on May 23.

Four days later, Tesfatsion Hagos, pastor of the Rema Evangelical Church
in Asmara,

was arrested while visiting the port city of Massawa.

Helen Berhane, 29, who recently released an album of music popular among
youth,

was incarcerated on May 13 in a shipping container at the Mai Serwa
military camp.


A member of Rema Church, Berhane has reportedly refused demands that she
sign a paper recanting her faith

and that she stop participating in Christian activities, Compass
reported.

At least 400 evangelicals of minority denominations are currently
imprisoned for their faith.

Many are teenagers, some are children, and a few are elderly.

Amnesty International issued a 45-page report on the Eastern African
nation on May 19 that said:

"Religious persecution has intensified, targeting minority Christian
religions.

The authorities [have] cracked down on the minority churches,

breaking into religious services in church premises or private homes,

confiscating Bibles and musical instruments,

arresting and beating church members on the spot,

and torturing them later in military detention centers."

b t wrote:

Eritrea
Escalating a two-year government crackdown against Christians,
police recently jailed three prominent pastors and a popular Christian
singer.

Might be useful to include the information that
Eritrea is approximately one-half Christian.
Coptic Orthodox is the predominant Christian
group, but Catholics and Protestants are also
represented.

The actions described by the poster in
'Christians in Eritrea' have been taken against
Evangelicals - and are disgusting, if true as
stated.

But the fact is, that Christianity is alive and
well in Eritrea, and is the faith practiced by
the majority of the leadership in the country.

Latest UN estimates say Christians actually form less than 30% of
Eritrea and Muslims are now about 65%. In Ethiopia the Christians have
fallen to 25%. This is due to massacres of Christians and extremely high
birth rate by mohammedians.

Even the Christians don't practice Orthadox. All they do is yell Jebus
while worshiping sticks. Hardly anything to worry about