Imprisoned Christian dies of meningitis

A Christian man detained in Eritrea's Wi'a Military Camp for the past year died of meningitis on September 3 following an outbreak of the illness at the prison, according to reports from Open Doors. Mesfin Gebrekristos, an evangelical Christian, is the fourth known believer to have died in detention this year. He is survived by a wife and two children.

Meanwhile, authorities in the country continue to pressure Christians who do not belong to the state-approved Lutheran, Catholic or Orthodox churches. At a September 6 meeting entitled "Working along with the police to prevent crime in the country," the government called on citizens to report any "illegal" gatherings of Christians in their neighbourhoods.

Pray for the wife and children of Mesfin Gebrekristos as they mourn. Pray that Eritrea's government will cease their campaign against evangelicals and respect freedom of religion for all.

Click here to learn more about the persecution of Eritrean Christians.

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Eritrea Profile

Location
Africa

Population
5,939,484 (July 2011 est.)

Ethnicity (%)
Tigrinya (55), Tigre (30), Saho (4), Kunama (2), Rashaida (2), Bilen (2), other (5)

Religion (%)
Muslim (50.26), Christian (47.31), Non-religious (1.87), Ethnoreligionist (0.56)

Leader
President Isaias Afworki

Government type
Transitional government

Legal system
Primary basis is the Ethiopian legal code of 1957 with revisions; new civil, commercial and penal codes have not yet been promulgated; government also issues unilateral proclamations setting laws and policies; also relies on customary and post-independence-enacted laws and, for civil cases involving Muslims, Islamic law; has not accepted compulsory International Court of Justice jurisdiction.

Statistics provided by Operation World, CIA World Factbook and a WEA-RLC Research & Analysis Report sponsored by the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) Religious Liberty Commission (RLC).