Two Eritrean Christians, Pastor Haile Nayzgi and Dr. Kiflu Gebremeskel, have now spent 7,000 days imprisoned for their Christian faith. They are among hundreds of Eritrean Christians currently in prison for their faith.
Nayzgi and Gebremeskel were arrested on May 23, 2004 for leading the Full Gospel Church of Eritrea, one of the evangelical denominations ordered to cease public worship activities in 2002. The Full Gospel Church continued to host house church services even after the government edict.
Nayzgi an Gebremeskel have been held incommunicado for most of their imprisonment, denied access to their families, lawyers, and even medical care. They have also been subjected to physical and psychological abuse.
Nayzgi is the former leader of the Full Gospel Church in Eritrea, which at the time of his arrest included 120 to 150 house meeting groups. Following the government closure, the Full Gospel Church filed an application for government registration. Church leaders never received a reply.
Gebremeskel is a mathematics lecturer, former department and faculty head at the University of Asmara, a founding member of the Full Gospel Church and senior pastor of the Southwest Full Gospel Church. He holds a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Chicago.
According to The Voice of the Martyrs’ 2023 Global Prayer Guide, Eritrea is classified as a “restricted nation” due to the government’s long history of persecuting Christians.
Since 1997, VOM has tracked persecution of Christians and designated nations or areas where followers of Christ regularly face persecution as either “restricted” or “hostile” in their annual prayer resource.
Eritrea is a small, East African country with a population of about 5 million people. The country gained its independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a long and bloody war.
In 2002, the government outlawed every form of religion except Islam, Orthodox Christianity, Roman Catholicism and the Lutheran Church. All other religious groups are illegal. But even “approved” religious groups face persecution. The patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church, Abune Antonios, died in prison in 2022 after 16 years of detention.
The population of Eritrea is nearly evenly divided between Sunni Muslims and Orthodox Christians. Only about 3 percent are evangelical Christians.
“We urge the Eritrean government to immediately release Pastor Haile, Dr. Kiflu and all other Christian prisoners,” said Todd Nettleton, VOM’s spokesperson. “We also call on U.S. government leaders and the international community to join their voices in this call for justice, and use every tool at their disposal to urge the Eritrean government and President Isaias Afwerki to end Eritrea’s terrible persecution of Christians.”
People can add their name to others demanding the Eritrean government release Haile Nayzgi, Dr. Kiflu Gebremeskel, and hundreds of other Christians who have been wrongfully imprisoned for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ in Eritrea at https://www.persecution.com/eritreanprisoners.
About The Voice of the Martyrs
Founded in 1967 by Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, The Voice of the Martyrs is a nonprofit, interdenominational missions organization serving persecuted Christians in the world’s most difficult and dangerous places to follow Christ. For more information, visit VOM.org.
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