By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
ASMARA (Worthy News) - Two evangelical pastors spent their 7,000th night in detention in Eritrea as part of a broader crackdown on churches declared illegal by authorities, Christians confirmed to Worthy News.
Pastors Haile Nayzgi and Kiflu Gebremeskel reached the milestone on Saturday, following their arrest on May 23, 2004, Worthy News learned.
The pastors were leaders of the Full Gospel/Kale Hiwot Church of Eritrea, one of several Protestant denominations banned in May 2002.
Pastor Haile Nayzgi also served as chair of that denomination, while Pastor Kiflu Gebremeskel was chairing the Eritrean Evangelical Alliance, an umbrella group of evangelical Christians.
“While Pastor Nayzgi is reported to be in good health, Pastor Gebremeskel has been seen visiting the hospital frequently under tight security,”
said Elizabeth Kendal, an international religious liberty analyst and advocate.
Kendal, who has been closely following the case, told Worthy News that both men have never been charged with any crime. “Both are believed to be held in the maximum-security Wengel Mermera Central Criminal Investigation Interrogation Centre.”
There are at least 400 and possibly up to 1,000 Christians currently imprisoned for their faith in the heavily Muslim East African nation.
“APPALLING CONDITIONS”
Many are held in “appalling conditions in shipping containers” in military camps, unsanitary over-crowded prisons, and “even in underground cells in the desert,” Kendal noted.
It is part of a broader religious policy by hardline President Isaias Afwerki, who has ruled Eritrea since it became an independent country in 1993.
His People's Front for Democracy and Justice is the only political party allowed to operate. Presidential elections planned for 1997 never happened, while a constitution ratified in the same year was never implemented.
“For 20 years, Eritrea has only recognized three official Christian denominations: Orthodox, Catholic, and Lutheran, and closely monitors these churches,” added Christian advocacy group Open Doors.
“Over the years, government security forces have conducted hundreds of house-to-house raids to catch other Christians,” the group explained.
Open Doors ranked Eritrea 4th on its annual World Watch List of 50 nations, where it claims Christians face the most persecution.
“Believers in Eritrea continue to suffer extreme persecution, making it one of the hardest places in the world to follow Jesus,” Open Doors said.