According to The Voice of the Martyrs Christian ministry, thirteen Eritrean Christians have been released from jail after being wrongly imprisoned for ten years. The inmates included seven women and six men who were released as part of a campaign it launched.
The Christians were released about two weeks ago after VOM requested that Christians pray for the release of two Eritrean church leaders and provided information to assist Christians in contacting the Eritrean Embassy on behalf of imprisoned Christians, according to a statement shared with The Christian Post.
After the ministry launched the campaign on July 22, more than 10,000 people responded, and just six days later, VOM received word from its ministry partners in Eritrea about the release of the 13 believers.
“We thank the Lord for the freedom of these brothers and sisters who have been released from prison in Eritrea. We thank Him for intervening on behalf of these 13,” said Todd Nettleton, VOM’s spokesperson.
Nettleton, who met with and interviewed Christians in Eritrea in 2004, expressed gratitude for the 10,000 people who responded to the ministry’s email and encouraged believers to continue praying.
“Don’t stop praying,” he said. “There are still more than 300 Christians in Eritrean prisons. Don’t stop being a voice for them at the Eritrean Embassy.”
The imprisoned pastors who were the focus of the letter-writing campaign, Pastor Haile Nayzgi and Kiflu Gebremeskel, have also not been released, VOM clarified.
Eritrea is classified as a “restricted nation” due to the government’s ongoing persecution of Christians, according to the ministry’s 2023 Global Prayer Guide.
All churches outside the Orthodox, Catholic, and Lutheran denominations were ordered to close by the government in 2002.
In October, Bishop Fikremariam Hagos, Fr. Abraham Habtom Gebremariam, and Fr. Mihretab Stefanos were arrested in Eritrea for calling for justice and reconciliation.
Persecuted Christians in Eritrea often disappear, and prison conditions are harsh, with inmates kept in shipping containers and believers tortured.
President Isaias Afewerki, a ruthless autocrat, has a policy of restrictions driven by fear of religion mobilizing people as a political force.