Visit the new AsenaTv Website

https://asenatv.com

Thousands of Christians leaving Eritrea because of persecution, report finds

premier.org.uk By Aaron James A report by an anti-persecution charity has said 1 in 12 people in Eritrea, many of them Christian, have now fled the East African state. Release International's report describes Eritrea as 'one of the

premier.org.uk
By Aaron James

A report by an anti-persecution charity has said 1 in 12 people in Eritrea, many of them Christian, have now fled the East African state.

Release International’s report describes Eritrea as ‘one of the world’s fastest emptying nations’ and the ‘North Korea of Africa’, with many of the 40,000 who fled to Italy last year being Christians.

For the past 13 years the government has been persecuting believers there and all evangelical and independent churches have been closed.

Dawit, who was among hundreds of Christians jailed and tortured for his faith in Jesus, said: “Eritrea is under a dictatorship.

“There is no law and no justice. When I was living in Eritrea I was arrested because of my Christian faith. That’s why I left.

“In Eritrea almost every Christian faces imprisonment. That’s why I was in prison.”

The report says many Christians who have fled the East African state are now living in makeshift refugee camps in neighbouring Ethiopia (below).

Release International

 

Release International

 

Release International

 

Release International

 

Deborah, who is in the camp, said: “Please pray for protection for us as we share our faith under enormous pressure. Pray for wisdom and for the Holy Spirit to lead us.

“Pray for Christian prisoners that God would strengthen their faith while in jail. Pray for justice to come to Eritrea.”

Berhane, who also fled to Ethiopia, added: “We believe there are over 300 Christian prisoners at the moment.

“Most of them have been in prison for over ten years and they are suffering for lack of food and proper hygiene and proper medical care and even some of them have lost their lives.”

aseye.asena@gmail.com

Review overview
11 COMMENTS
  • AHMED SALEH !!! May 5, 2016

    ” We believe there are three hundred Christians in prison ” .
    Assenna staff
    Do you have to post knowingly misleading report while more than
    ten thousand prisoners scattered at couple of hundred prisons
    across the country condemned to rot in dungeons ?
    If the writer want speak for those 300 prisoners he should
    explain precisely which Christians he tried to refer even though respected journalists don’t write before further research on any
    found information . Please avoid rubbish reports opposite to our
    standards concerning national issues .

    • Amanuel May 6, 2016

      He has mistaken the number of prisons for prisoners. You can not have 300 prisoners only in 300+ prisons.

      • Tsehaye May 6, 2016

        Amanuel,

        No, the reporter is not mistaken. He is quoting and stating the information he has received from Dawit and Berhane. The Christian prisoners that Dawit and Berhane are talking about do not include the Christians from the Tewahdo and the Catholic denominations. These two guys are talking about Pentecostal followers. After all, those who are immersed in this cultic denomination do not consider the other Christian Eritreans as Christians. The reporter has simply written the information that Dawit, Berhane and others have provided him.

        • AHMED SALEH !!! May 6, 2016

          Tsehaye
          We must tolerate people of various religions and social fabrics if we
          want live in peace with harmony . To generalize the whole sects at
          such negative category doesn’t get us no where except to waste our
          energy for destructive endings .
          If injustices perpetuated against Pentecostal followers couldn’t send warning sign to others and alerted for precautions , it is possible to spread like cancer disease that destroys our body slowly .
          At the end of the day everybody share the bitter taste of victimization effects in humans life .
          Playing religion card always benefit the interest of corrupted forces in political circle .

          • Tsehaye May 7, 2016

            Ahmed,

            You should know better that the PFDJ mafia does not persecute people because they are Pentecostal followers, Muslims or Tewahdos. The only color the regime sees is a threat to its existence. Those who pretend they are persecuted because they are Pente is simply nonsense.

            Have you ever heard or seen an Eritrean Tewahdo or an Eritrean Catholic mixing religion and politics? Under the tyrannical PFDJ, every Eritrean is a victim no matter what his or her religious belief is. Please have the courage to call the spade a SPADE…ባዴላ.

  • Berhe Tensea May 5, 2016

    The prosecution to any one be it Christian or a Moslem, however the new religion or the Pente followers are hunted and jailed ore than others, because they refuse to obey what they call the earthly master or the government.
    In general young people are not welcome to live in peace, their option to stay in the army for as long as PFDJ is in power or flee the country for good.
    Eritrea at this time is with the lowest proportion of the youth in its entire history.
    The consequence of this mass migration is devastating the parents, and the country.
    Eritrea at this time in the second place in the world in the production of refugees.
    The negative effect of this will be felt for many many years.
    Poor Eritrea’s future is bleak and its existence is in question at this very moment.
    Eritrea unless it is rescued by some kind of miracle, soon will be a failed nation and or history.
    Death to the worst enemy of the people and his gutless yes men.
    It is sad that a country of thousands of martyrs is in its final doom.

  • Berhe Tensea May 5, 2016

    The prosecution to any one be it Christian or a Moslem, however the new religion or the Pente followers are hunted and jailed more than others, because they refuse to obey what they call the earthly master or the government.
    In general young people are not welcome to live in peace, their option to stay in the army for as long as PFDJ is in power or flee the country for good.
    Eritrea at this time is with the lowest proportion of the youth in its entire history.
    The consequence of this mass migration is devastating the parents, and the country.
    Eritrea at this time in the second place in the world in the production of refugees.
    The negative effect of this will be felt for many many years.
    Poor Eritrea’s future is bleak and its existence is in question at this very moment.
    Eritrea unless it is rescued by some kind of miracle, soon will be a failed nation and or history.
    Death to the worst enemy of the people and his gutless yes men.
    It is sad that a country of thousands of martyrs is in its final doom.

  • H tesfa May 6, 2016

    May God help you Guys i will never forget you on my prayer because i was safer too because of my faith.
    But one day they will pay the price as Mohamed Gedafi Libya precedent

  • Dala Ksha May 6, 2016

    Is this writer knowingly misleading readers,there are over 10,000 prisoners languishing in containers and underground jails for no crime accepte talking their mind and this writer is concerned about his fellow pentes only,who don’t have any significant role in our struggle for freedom.(by the way I am Christian to)this concept will not go with our culture.we hav enough enemies who are trying to divide us.ezi wedihanka.

  • Massawa May 6, 2016

    The Eritreans and the friends of Eritreans who do the translations and the guides to journalists need to explain some facts about Eritrea more than twice with emphasis. There are more than 300 known jails and prisons in Eritrea. The humble journalist thought it was “300 Christians” (Pentecostals) in prison; the fact is more than 300 jails and prisons and thousands of Pentecostals are in jail, plus thousands of other religions, journalists, national service, attempted border would-be crossers, business men and women, ex-tegadeltis, priests and shieks …
    The whole Eritrea is a jail.

  • k.tewolde May 6, 2016

    It is just an article folks,somebodies view. We know exactly what is happening in our country, because we are the direct victims, and we come from all walks of life, creed and faith of our society. We have an ugly monster there called HGDEF and it is tearing our collective social fabric that identifies us as Eritreans to shreds.Period!

Post a Reply to k.tewolde Cancel Reply