Despite never having been charged with a crime, these three pastors—Haile Nayzgi, Kiflu Gebremeskel and Meron Gebreselasie—are among hundreds of jailed persecuted believers in Eritrea. Abune Antonios, another church leader, died under house arrest at the age of 94 in 2022 for the same so-called crime.
Persecuted pastors in Eritrea among many imprisoned believers
Eritrea, a country of 5.6 million, is home to 1.8 million Christians. Detained believers endure horrific conditions, including sexual abuse and torture, according to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Many are held in metal containers left in the jungle, subject to terrible heat during the day and freezing temperatures at night. Officials who commit human rights abuse are left unpunished.
“Eritrea is like a giant prison,” Dr. Berhane Asmelash, an Eritrean pastor, told GCR. “The country is filled with jails. It is like North Korea.”
International response
Yet despite the widespread outcry, the state of religious freedom in Eritrea remains dire. The U.S. State Department has designated Eritrea a Country of Particular Concern “for having engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom” since 2004. International churches have expressed similar concerns “at the continuing unjust, arbitrary, and indefinite detention of tens of thousands of Eritrean citizens in harsh conditions, including hundreds of Christians imprisoned solely on account of their faith.”
“It is unconscionable that these [pastors] remain imprisoned under horrible conditions,” said USCIRF Commissioner Frank Wolf. “Other Eritrean church leaders should not suffer the same fate. … The safety and well-being of religious prisoners of conscience needs to be a priority for the international community.”
But despite the persecution they endure, steadfast believers have remained strong in their faith. “Nothing comes to us without the will of God,” one Eritrean pastor said, “Through persecution … the church grows.”
About the author
Chandler Peterson is a staff writer and editor for Global Christian Relief where she shares stories of Christian persecution. Read the latest Christian persecution stories on our website and learn more at GlobalChristianRelief.org.
