Eritrea: Christian mother dies in prison

According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reporting on 11 August 2017, a Christian mother who was arrested in May 2017 with her husband has died while in detention. Fikadu Debesay, the mother of three, was arrested during a raid targeting Evangelicals. The report indicates that the cause of her death is unclear but it is known that the detention facilities were situated in an area of "oppressive heat and aridity". The government has intensified its crackdown on illegal churches this year. Yonas Dembele, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, comments: "Many Christians in the country, especially those who belong to illegal churches, are suffering immensely. It has been widely reported that many church leaders are in detention on grounds of their Christian faith. Some Christians are taking the risk of becoming easy prey for human traffickers in attempts to escape persecution in the country. The patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church has also been under house arrest for the past ten years because he refused to comply with the demands of the Eritrean ruling party. Last year"s report by the UN Human Rights Commission of Inquiry indicated that Eritrea has committed serious violations of human rights including persecution (UN News Center, 8 June 2016). Eritrea is one of the two African countries designated as "˜Countries of Particular Concern" by the US State Department due to serious violations of freedom of religion. The arrest, detention and death of Fikadu Debesay should be seen in this context, not merely as the unfortunate death of an individual in a detention camp."