Eritrea: Christian Woman Tortured to Death in Jail
Sep 18 2007
Postings >> Eritrea

A Christian woman has been tortured to death in an Eritrean jail for refusing to deny Christ -- the fourth believer to die in custody in less than a year.

Nigsti Haile, 33, died at the Wi'a Military Training Centre, near Massawa, on 5 September, 18 months after she and nine other Christian women were seized at a church meeting in Keren. RI sources say Nigsti, a member of a Rhema church, had been under severe pressure to abandon her faith for all of that time.

Amnesty International reports that at least 21 other Christians have been arrested in Asmara since mid-August and are being held incommunicado. Among them were 10 members of the Full Gospel Church who, according to Amnesty, are now being held at the notorious Karchele security prison in the Eritrean capital.

Two young Christian men died of torture wounds at a military camp in October, while a third, Magos Solomon Semere, succumbed to four-and-a-half years' abuse at a military base outside Assab in February (7x7, 6 March 2007).

UK-based Release-Eritrea believes the Eritrean authorities are turning up the pressure on the country's evangelical Christians to 'unprecedented levels'. Testimony from Eritrean refugees arriving at the Shimelba camp in Ethiopia suggests that Christian prisoners are 'routinely' tortured to try to make them recant their faith.

Amnesty adds that most of the 2,000-plus Christians currently jailed for their faith have been held for more than two years, in extremely harsh conditions.

• Praise God for Nigsti Haile's courage in resisting the authorities' brutal campaign to make her deny Christ. Pray that her testimony will bring many to know Jesus.
• Pray that pressure will be brought on the Eritrean authorities to end their witch-hunt of Christians and release all those being detained without charge.