Yesterday in London, Church in Chains joined with representatives and supporters of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Release Eritrea and Human Rights Concern Eritrea in a Prayer and Protest Vigil outside the Eritrean Embassy (accredited to the UK and Ireland).
The annual vigil – held every year since 2003 – marks the anniversary of the Eritrean government’s banning in May 2002 of all churches except the Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches and the imprisonment of thousands of Christians without trial or sentence in the years since.
Dr Berhane Asmelash (Release Eritrea), a former prisoner in Eritrea and a personal friend to many of the senior pastors who’ve been held incommunicado for 21 years, spoke about their continued detention and also about more recent arrests. He told participants that over 200 Christians have been arrested so far in 2025, in many cases leaving their families with no-one to support them. It is currently estimated that there are over 500 Christians in prison.
Dr Berhane also highlighted the continual risk of arrest, even for older Christians: “One Christian was arrested at 75 years of age and spent ten years in prison before finally being released in poor health when he was 85-years-old. He died not long after being released.” Despite the risk of arrest, he said that many Christians are bold in sharing their faith with others in Eritrea: “they are not worried about their liberty – they are concerned about the lost”.
Elsa Chyrum (Human Rights Concern-Eritrea) spoke about the plight of Eritrean refugees, asylum seekers and trafficking victims. She stated that an estimated 20,000 Eritreans arrived in Ethiopia in 2024, adding to over 70,000 already seeking protection. However, instead of safety, many find violence and fear, especially in the Afar and Amhara regions. She also spoke about the lack of safety for Eritrean refugees in Sudan, South Sudan, Egypt and Libya and also about the fact that Europe is “closing its doors”. She concluded, “to be Eritrean and seeking refuge today means being trapped, between a brutal regime, war zones, and sealed borders. There is nowhere truly safe for Eritrean refugees. Please pray for Eritrean refugees.”
Selam Kidane (Release Eritrea) spoke about the Eritrean government saying, “the government has turned its back on justice and on doing good… The regime does not just persecute Christians in Eritrea; it doesn’t just persecute Eritreans in Eritrea. The persecution is in fact transnational. It has crossed borders; it has crossed oceans and we Eritreans are persecuted here [in the UK] … We are unable to visit our families. We are unable to access any services that are rightfully owed to us.” She said that this explained the absence from the event of many Eritrean Christians living in the UK.
Each section of the vigil was followed by prayer and the participants also sang two praise songs: “How Great Thou Art” and “How Great Is Our God”.
Delivery of letter
Representatives of CSW, Church In Chains, Human Rights Concern-Eritrea and Release Eritrea crossed the street to deliver a letter to the Head of Mission at the Embassy, Mr Salih Abdalla. The letter expressed deep concern about “the ongoing campaign of arbitrary and indefinite detention that has targeted members of the Christian community since May 2002” and continued “We remember in particular, the six senior church leaders who are beginning their 21st year in incommunicado detention without charge or trial, and a seventh who is marking his 20th year of similar incarceration.” The letter ended by calling for the unconditional release of every prisoner of conscience in Eritrea. As in previous years, the embassy refused to open the door to receive the letter directly, so it was posted through its letter box.
David Turner (Church in Chains) thanked participants for coming to the event, saying, “Thank you for standing with our brothers and sisters in Eritrea today. Thank you for coming each year to send out a strong message – we have not forgotten their suffering. We will continue to stand with them and speak up for them for as long as they are imprisoned.”
(Church in Chains, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Human Rights Concern-Eritrea)
Photo Credits: Church in Chains, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Release Eritrea