The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) confirmed 13 Christians were released from prison late last month in Eritrea, an African country that borders the Red Sea and has been compared to North Korea for its isolation.
The believers — seven women and six men — were falsely imprisoned for 10 years. Their names are not being released for their safety, according to VOM.
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“We thank the Lord for the freedom of these brothers and sisters who have been released from prison in Eritrea. We thank Him for intervening on behalf of these 13,” said Todd Nettleton, VOM’s spokesperson, who met with and interviewed Christians in Eritrea in 2004.
The release came days after VOM called on Christians to pray for the release of two Eritrean church leaders on their 7,000th day in prison and email or fax the Eritrean embassy on their behalf.
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In the days following, more than 10,000 people responded to the email and declared their intention to pray for imprisoned Christians in Eritrea. Just six days later, VOM received word about the release of these 13 believers from local ministry partners inside the country.
Pastor Haile Nayzgi and Dr. Kiflu Gebremeskel, the imprisoned pastors who were the focus of the July 22 email, were not among the released Christians.
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Nettleton expressed gratitude for the 10,000 who responded to the ministry’s email and encouraged believers to continue praying.
“Don’t stop praying,” he said. “There are still more than 300 Christians in Eritrean prisons. Don’t stop being a voice for them to the Eritrean embassy. Go today and add your name to the list of those who are committed to pray. Share it with a friend. Share it with your whole church. Share it with your whole Bible study group. Share it with somebody who will join you to pray for more prisoners to be released, including Pastor Haile and Dr. Kiflu.”
According to The Voice of the Martyrs’ 2023 Global Prayer Guide, Eritrea is classified as a “restricted nation” due to the government’s ongoing persecution of Christians. All churches outside the Orthodox, Catholic and Lutheran denominations were ordered to close by the government in 2002.
Hundreds of Christians still remained imprisoned in Eritrea today. Click here to add your name to the thousands that have signed the petition.
Caleb Parke is the SMG managing editor. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and connect with him at calebparke.com
