{"id":59321,"date":"2026-06-09T10:05:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T01:05:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/?p=59321"},"modified":"2026-06-09T10:08:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T01:08:50","slug":"vomk-report-401","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/2026\/06\/09\/vomk-report-401\/","title":{"rendered":"ERITREA: CHRISTIANS\u2019 SPIRITS \u201cUNBROKEN\u201d AS CYCLE OF IMPRISONMENT AND RELEASE CONTINUES"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”59323″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” css=””][vc_custom_heading text=”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\u2019s zero tolerance policy toward unregistered Christian groups. Dr. Hyun Sook Foley, Representative of Voice of the Martyrs Korea, says the government\u2019s ongoing cycle of imprisoning and releasing Christians is aimed at \u201cbreaking the spirits\u201d of the faithful. But, she says, that strategy isn\u2019t working.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:1.2em|text_align:left|color:%23111111″ google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”” el_class=”headline”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Representative Foley points to the experience of \u201c<\/span>Kidan<\/span>\u201d* (name changed for security reasons), an Eritrean Christian woman recently released after 7 years in prison, as an example.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]\u201c<\/span><\/span>Kidan<\/span>\u00a0was one of 40 people\u00a0<\/span>who were arrested at her church\u00a0<\/span>in western Eritrea<\/span>\u00a0years ago<\/span>,\u201d says Representative Foley<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u201cShe was\u00a0<\/span>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\u00a0<\/span>statement renouncing her\u00a0<\/span>faith<\/span>, but she refused<\/span><\/span>.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Kidan told Voice of the Martyrs, \u201c<\/span>When they brought us there<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0they wanted us to experience\u00a0<\/span>this mental torture. They were saying,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u2018<\/span><\/span>We brought you here in order to break your spirit\u2019<\/span>.\u201d But\u00a0<\/span>Kidan<\/span>\u00a0said throughout her imprisonment she<\/span>\u00a0and other Christians\u00a0<\/span>focused on\u00a0<\/span>patiently show<\/span>ing\u00a0<\/span>the love of God to their guards.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0\u201c<\/span><\/span>It was long, but there was always hope in our heart<\/span>,\u201d she told Voice of the Martyrs<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>The Spirit of God was always giving us hope when we read the Scriptures. We were ready to be faithful unto death.<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”59327″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” css=””][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Kidan told Voice of the Martyrs that during her 7 years in prison she was\u00a0<\/span>permitted<\/span>\u00a0only one brief visit from her son but no visits from her husband.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]\u201c<\/span>Kidan\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0husband had also been arrested for Christian activity, but because he was half Ethiopian, authorities deported him to Ethiopia,\u201d says Representative Foley. \u201c<\/span>So,<\/span>\u00a0when\u00a0<\/span>Kidan<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>was finally released from prison, she\u00a0<\/span>arrived home to an empty house.<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]According to Representative Foley,\u00a0<\/span>what Kidan experienced upon her release was typical for\u00a0<\/span>Eritrean Christians<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>When Christians are released from prison, they<\/span>\u00a0typically face poverty and social rejection<\/span>. In her case, her<\/span>\u00a0church was able<\/span>\u00a0to provide some short-term aid and to help her and her son move to Ethiopia to be<\/span>\u00a0reunited with her husband.<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Representative Foley says Voice of the Martyrs provides support to Eritrean Christians and their families during and after imprisonment<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>She says that a<\/span>fter\u00a0<\/span>Kidan\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>move to Ethiopia,\u00a0<\/span>Voice of the Martyrs joined local partners in buying the family a\u00a0<\/span>three-wheel<\/span>ed vehicle that they can use for carrying passengers and doing\u00a0<\/span>food delivery<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]\u201c<\/span><\/span>It\u2019s paying for<\/span>\u00a0our house, our rent, our food<\/span><\/span>,<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Kidan told Voice of the Martyrs<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>It is also supporting our son\u2019s education. It is everything to us.<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”59331″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” css=””][vc_custom_heading text=”\u201cKidan\u201d (name changed for security reasons) is an Eritrean Christian who was recently released after 7 years in prison.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13|text_align:center|color:%23111111″ css=””][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Representative Foley says that\u00a0<\/span>Kidan\u00a0<\/span>is\u00a0<\/span>continu<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0to live out her Christian faith.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>She is active in an Eritrean refugee church in Ethiopia<\/span>, especially in the women<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s group. The family<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s life\u00a0<\/span>continues to be difficult, and rising\u00a0<\/span>gas\u00a0<\/span>prices are a strain on their business<\/span>, but they are happy to be reunited and\u00a0<\/span>serving the Lord<\/span><\/span>.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Since\u00a0<\/span>May 2002<\/span>\u00a0t<\/span>he\u00a0<\/span>Afwerki\u00a0<\/span>regime in Eritrea has banned all\u00a0<\/span>unregistered\u00a0<\/span>religious activity\u00a0<\/span>and restricted registration to\u00a0<\/span>Sunni Islam<\/span>\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0Orthodox, Lutheran<\/span>, and\u00a0<\/span>Catholic churches.\u00a0<\/span>Seven pastors have\u00a0<\/span>remained<\/span>\u00a0in prison since that time. Representative Foley says that between 200 and 220 other Christians are presently in Eritrean prisons. She says that\u00a0<\/span>number<\/span>\u00a0will\u00a0<\/span>likely increase<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>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.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]\u201cThe Eritrean government is engaging in a cycle of releasing some Christians from prison while arresting other Christians,\u201d says Representative Foley. She says the Eritrean government has given no official explanation for its behavior but that situations like\u00a0<\/span>Kidan\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0indicate an ongoing effort by the government to \u201cbreak the spirits\u201d of Christians. Still, she says, the Eritrean church is continuing to grow, by all objective measurements.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]\u201cWe should study and learn from Eritrean Christians because the church is doing amazingly well even in the midst of severe persecution,\u201d says Representative Foley. \u201cBut 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.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Representative Foley\u00a0<\/span>says that currently five Eritrean Christians are in prisons where letters can reach them.\u00a0<\/span>The prisoners all entered prison between 2004 and 2007.\u00a0<\/span>The names and addresses of these prisoners, as well as what to write and how to send the letters, can be found at\u00a0<\/span><\/span>https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/prisoner-profiles\/<\/span><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_column][\/vc_column]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”59323″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” css=””][vc_custom_heading text=”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 …","protected":false},"author":1959,"featured_media":59324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[140],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-vomk-report"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.2","language":"en","enabled_languages":["ko","en","zh","ru"],"languages":{"ko":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"zh":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"ru":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1959"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59321"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59321\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59337,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59321\/revisions\/59337"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}