KEREN, Eritrea — Eritrean security police arrested 34 Christian evangelicals gathered for prayer and fellowship in a local home in Keren May 28. The raid targeted members of the Berhane Hiwet (Light of Life) Church in Keren, Eritrea’s third largest city, located 124 miles northwest of the capital, Asmara. All 24 men and 10 women were taken to prison, and their children were left behind.
The raid was the second round of arrests the last week of May in Eritrea, where the oppressive regime has outlawed independent Protestant churches since 2002, closing their buildings and banning gatherings in private homes. Worshippers caught disobeying restrictions are placed under arrest and tortured, sometimes for years. They also are denied legal counsel and refused a trial.
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