Eritrea
Escalating a two-year government crackdown against Christians,
police recently jailed three prominent pastors and a popular Christian
singer.
To date, none of the believers have been charged as required by law
within 48 hours of arrest, Compass Direct reported.
Haile Naizgi, chairman of the Full Gospel Church,
and Dr. Kifle Gebremeskel, chairman of the Eritrean Evangelical
Alliance,
were arrested at their homes in Asmara on May 23.
Four days later, Tesfatsion Hagos, pastor of the Rema Evangelical Church
in Asmara,
was arrested while visiting the port city of Massawa.
Helen Berhane, 29, who recently released an album of music popular among
youth,
was incarcerated on May 13 in a shipping container at the Mai Serwa
military camp.
A member of Rema Church, Berhane has reportedly refused demands that she
sign a paper recanting her faith
and that she stop participating in Christian activities, Compass
reported.
At least 400 evangelicals of minority denominations are currently
imprisoned for their faith.
Many are teenagers, some are children, and a few are elderly.
Amnesty International issued a 45-page report on the Eastern African
nation on May 19 that said:
"Religious persecution has intensified, targeting minority Christian
religions.
The authorities [have] cracked down on the minority churches,
breaking into religious services in church premises or private homes,
confiscating Bibles and musical instruments,
arresting and beating church members on the spot,
and torturing them later in military detention centers."
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