by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - The Eritrean government is still holding in detention 98 Christians who were arrested on account of their faith in September, Christian Today (CT) reports.
According to the Release International rights organization, Eritrean officials detained the 98 Christians following a September raid on a house church in the Godaif district in the capital city of Asmara, CT said.
A number of women and children were released, but the 98 were taken to Mai Serwa prison, where they remain.
An estimated 300 Christians have now been jailed for their faith in Eritrea, CT reports. Most are understood to be Pentecostal or Evangelical: in May 2002, the government banned every religion except Sunni Islam, Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholicism, and the Lutheran Church.
Christians who belong to banned groups are considered “enemies of the state” and can be imprisoned if they are caught practicing their faith, CT said. Some Christians have been kept in shipping containers and subjected to extreme heat or extreme cold, depending on the time of year.
Nevertheless, according to Release International, a number of Eritrean prisoners accepted Christ after hearing the testimony of believers jailed for following Jesus, CT reports.
Despite nearly half the country identifying as Christian, Eritrea is ruled by a totalitarian, nationalist regime and ranks sixth on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2022 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.