By Joseph C. DeCaro, BosNewsLife Special Correspondent with BosNewsLife Africa Service

Christians have been held in containers in Eritrea, according to former inmates and rights groups.

ASMARA, ERITREA (BosNewsLife)– Eritrean security forces have detained nearly a dozen Christians, taking them to undisclosed locations,  local Christians and rights activists said in comments monitored by BosNewsLife Thursday, November 4.   

Eleven Christians from the areas of Mendefera, Dekemharre and Dibarwa were arrested October 20 on orders of Mustafa Nurhussein, the governor of the Southern Zone province, who has demanded a crackdown on devoted Christians living in his province, said International Christian Concern, a major advoacy group investigating the case. The names of the Christians were not released.

Most of the detained Christians are  members of the Full Gospel Church that was banned back in 2002, Christians said. Eritrea only recognizes four religious groups including Islam, the Eritrean Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran Evangelical Church of Eritrea. However, even members of recognized religions havn’t escaped persecution, according to church observers.

In May 2007, Eritrean officials put Abune Antonios, patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church, under house arrest, where he still remains today.

THOUSANDS DETAINED

Eritrea officials have arrested thousands of Christians, holding them inside metal shipping containers, barracks and underground dungeons where at least several have died from torture and other harsh conditions, church groups and rights activists say.

“We are saddened to hear about the detention of the 11 Christians,” said ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa, Jonathan Racho, . “Eritrean officials have continued to mistreat Christians in the country for choosing to practice their faith. We ask Eritrea to immediately release the 11 Christians and the more than 3,000 others who are illegally detained.”

Eritrean officials have not yet commented on the latest case, but in the past officials have defended the policy saying they want to protect the country against foreign inspired “dangerous sects”.

Last year, the Eritrean leadership reportedly urged citizens to report any “illegal” gatherings of Christians in their neighbourhoods, which it described as “criminal acts” deserving “to be punished by law.” (With reporting by BosNewsLife’s Stefan J. Bos).

 

 

17 COMMENTS

  1. You never get tired writting about Eritrea. Eritrea is a country of Chirstians and muslims. I don’t know which chirstianity you are talking about. You are probably talking about the recently imported religion to weaken our society, especially targeting our youth. You have been writing quite for sometime but no one buy your story in Eritrea or Eritrans in the ohter part of the world. We know for fact it is a hidden agenda to get rid of the popular gov’t.

    Stefan, you have to do it because you are a paid agent. You will never have a sympathy for Eritrea. We have a good experiance, we will not expect sympathy from colonizer who put Africa in dasaster.

  2. Dear Tekebash,

    I was already missing your comments…You call me a ‘paid agent’. Am not sure if you mean secret service agent. If so, I would challenge you to provide names, at least some facts. All I know is that I work for BosNewsLife an independent online news agency. Obviously the imprisoned Christians are not followers of an imported religion. I think you confuse love for Africa and Eritrea with genuine critical news reporting, which the Eritrean government does not appreciate, to say it mildly.

    Best regards,

    Stefan J. Bos, BosNewsLife

  3. well i feel sympathy for those brother who jailed for nothing and i can see some one in this pages can get things straight i just can call some one who can’t see ERITREANS TORTURE BLIND b/c there is no history ever inconcent people smack down in thier own land by their own governmet…

  4. Dear Stefan

    Thank you for being a voice to the voiceless, an I appreciate your mannered reply to Tekebash, which looks a PFDJ agent, I hope she will learn how to be a mannered person.

  5. Don’t worry stefan indirectly she was telling you about her self that she is paid to write such, you know people like her live with their whole family in the western countries having closed eyes to see the reality and don’t care what is going on in eritrea , with the 2% they pay every month to the PFDJ they count themselves as a good nationals.

  6. Eritrea is an accursed country taken over by Marxists. It is the after effects of old USSR’s and Castro’s damnable infiltration in Africa to corrupt it with their filth and atheist propaganda and weapons. MANY other countries in Africa were as affected by the Satanic religion of Marxism as Eritrea was and is. Many Africans from these nations are the most hard core damnable Marxists you will ever meet and they will slit your throat at the drop of a dime. Mix tribal psychotic mindset and Marxism and guess what you get. You already have their tools posting on your website. The entire world is being taken over by either the Marxist or Islamic genocidal religions.

  7. Dear all Christians,

    i think you remember same thing was happened and still happening to eritrean muslims after so called ‘freedom of eritrea’, no body of you was giving any attention at that time. i am not with shabias doing to Christians but i am not with you ‘Wegeninet’ and ‘Mifililay’. that is why is Shabiya playing with all eritreans. and will till we all come together.

  8. You people, Eritreans from all religions and tribes are totally blind, you all can not see what Issaias Afewerke tying to do, the best for his people and country, God bless Isaias Afewerke.

  9. you guys, you are just lossing your potenial and time in a fruit less blamings and insulting the government and people of eritrea. the government and the people of eritrea, have exprienced the betterns of the different colonizers and their ethinic, race, religious, discriminations and ethnocentrisms. so, the eritrean people struggled and liberated eritea, as well as build a strong religious, ethinic and geographical unity, solidarity and respect together. so it is absolutly impossible for you to try to break this solidarity, unity and respect through what ever methods you use. eritrea is not a somal or domocratic congo to be persuated by foregners.so guys please do ur other jobs if u have, other wise you will lose ur time and potential in going around the bush, if u run in insulting and blaming the eritrea and its mass.

  10. Dear

    I really felt sorry for those under custody of the Brutal Eritrean Government.
    You know what one of my friends father said when he tries to tell being a Christian (Pentecostal) is wrong, He said Isaias has said they are Mute Weapons, that is how one can understand that being Christian is really Hard in Eritrea.
    I appreciate the nationalist feelings of Eritreans, but that doesn’t mean Being a Christian is defecting the country.
    May God bless Eritrea.

    Biniam Abrham

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