SIXTY MORE EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS JAILED IN ERITREA
Eritrea
Wednesday January 05, 2005
compassdirect.org
Sixty members of the Rema Charismatic Church in the Eritrean capital of Asmara have been arrested and jailed for holding a New Year’s Eve celebration in the home of one of their church leaders.
Well-known Christian singer Helen Berhane has been jailed alone in a metal shipping container at this same military center since last May for refusing to deny her evangelical faith or sign a promise to stop participating in local Protestant activities.
Prisoners held in these containers at Mai-Serwa “where conditions are harsh and infectious diseases such as diarrhea are common” are never charged with any crime or brought to trial, according to an Amnesty International report issued November 26.
Evangelical Christians incarcerated for their faith have suffered severe physical abuse during repeated arrests and harassments since May 2002, when the government closed all their church premises and outlawed worship even in their homes. The banned groups include Pentecostal and charismatic congregations, as well as Adventist, Presbyterian, Assemblies of God and Methodist-linked churches.