Eritrea (MNN) — Open Doors says at least seven prisoners
held at Wi'a Military camp in Eritrea have died in an outbreak of meningitis.
By the time the government relocated the prisoners and staff
to Mitire Military Concentration Camp, at least one of them, Mesfin
Gebrekristos, was among those who succumbed to both weakened health and the
illness. Mesfin was a believer who spent the last year
imprisoned for his faith.
He died on September 3 and leaves behind a wife and two
children. He is the tenth reported
Christian to have died while being incarcerated for his worship outside of the
state-approved Lutheran, Catholic and Orthodox churches.
Open Doors also reports that two weeks ago, the Eritrean
government called on all its citizens to inform the police of any illegal
gatherings of Christians in their neighborhoods.
According
to their sources, the call was made during a meeting titled, "Working
Along With The Police To Prevent Crime In The Country." Authorities said meetings by unregistered
groups in homes is a criminal act and asked civilians to also regard them as
such. The government then took that a step further by indicating that such
criminal acts deserved to be punished by law.
Christians
belonging to unregistered groups are fearful. Open Doors says Christian leaders
are encouraging believers to be bold and
ask prayer for God's strength for these believers. Keep praying too that the hope of Christ will speak loudly for
the believers who cannot speak for themselves.
