ERITREA: CHRISTIANS’ SPIRITS “UNBROKEN” AS CYCLE OF IMPRISONMENT AND RELEASE CONTINUES
An April release of 24 Christians has brought the number of Christian prisoners in the small North African nation of Eritrea to its lowest level in 20 years. But recent mass arrests at two separate churches last month, combined with the continued imprisonment of seven Christian leaders for more than 20 years, seem to show that nothing has changed in the Eritrean government’s zero tolerance policy toward unregistered Christian groups. Dr. Hyun Sook Foley, Representative of Voice of the Martyrs Korea, says the government’s ongoing cycle of imprisoning and releasing Christians is aimed at “breaking the spirits” of the faithful. But, she says, that strategy isn’t working.
Representative Foley points to the experience of “Kidan”* (name changed for security reasons), an Eritrean Christian woman recently released after 7 years in prison, as an example.
“Kidan was one of 40 people who were arrested at her church in western Eritrea years ago,” says Representative Foley. “She was held in a police station for four months before being transferred to a remote military site, encircled by mountains. There she was harassed and regularly goaded to sign a statement renouncing her faith, but she refused.”
Kidan told Voice of the Martyrs, “When they brought us there, they wanted us to experience this mental torture. They were saying, ‘We brought you here in order to break your spirit’.” But Kidan said throughout her imprisonment she and other Christians focused on patiently showing the love of God to their guards. “It was long, but there was always hope in our heart,” she told Voice of the Martyrs. “The Spirit of God was always giving us hope when we read the Scriptures. We were ready to be faithful unto death.”
Kidan told Voice of the Martyrs that during her 7 years in prison she was permitted only one brief visit from her son but no visits from her husband.
“Kidan’s husband had also been arrested for Christian activity, but because he was half Ethiopian, authorities deported him to Ethiopia,” says Representative Foley. “So, when Kidan was finally released from prison, she arrived home to an empty house.”
According to Representative Foley, what Kidan experienced upon her release was typical for Eritrean Christians. “When Christians are released from prison, they typically face poverty and social rejection. In her case, her church was able to provide some short-term aid and to help her and her son move to Ethiopia to be reunited with her husband.”
Representative Foley says Voice of the Martyrs provides support to Eritrean Christians and their families during and after imprisonment. She says that after Kidan’s move to Ethiopia, Voice of the Martyrs joined local partners in buying the family a three-wheeled vehicle that they can use for carrying passengers and doing food delivery.
“It’s paying for our house, our rent, our food,” Kidan told Voice of the Martyrs. “It is also supporting our son’s education. It is everything to us.”
“Kidan” (name changed for security reasons) is an Eritrean Christian who was recently released after 7 years in prison.
Representative Foley says that Kidan is continuing to live out her Christian faith. “She is active in an Eritrean refugee church in Ethiopia, especially in the women’s group. The family’s life continues to be difficult, and rising gas prices are a strain on their business, but they are happy to be reunited and serving the Lord.”
Since May 2002 the Afwerki regime in Eritrea has banned all unregistered religious activity and restricted registration to Sunni Islam and Orthodox, Lutheran, and Catholic churches. Seven pastors have remained in prison since that time. Representative Foley says that between 200 and 220 other Christians are presently in Eritrean prisons. She says that number will likely increase again as the result of arrests last month at a church in Asmara, the capital city, and another church in Adi Keyh, 110 km south of Asmara.
“The Eritrean government is engaging in a cycle of releasing some Christians from prison while arresting other Christians,” says Representative Foley. She says the Eritrean government has given no official explanation for its behavior but that situations like Kidan’s indicate an ongoing effort by the government to “break the spirits” of Christians. Still, she says, the Eritrean church is continuing to grow, by all objective measurements.
“We should study and learn from Eritrean Christians because the church is doing amazingly well even in the midst of severe persecution,” says Representative Foley. “But we should also write to and pray regularly for the Eritrean Christian leaders who are paying the price for their faith in Eritrean prisons and shipping containers.”
Representative Foley says that currently five Eritrean Christians are in prisons where letters can reach them. The prisoners all entered prison between 2004 and 2007. The names and addresses of these prisoners, as well as what to write and how to send the letters, can be found at https://vomkorea.com/en/prisoner-profiles/.