Prayer diary: Eritrea

The human rights crisis in Eritrea is one of the most serious in the world, yet one of the least reported.

Although Eritrea’s constitution protects freedom of religion, the ruling party has not implemented this document. Only Sunni Islam, the Eritrean Orthodox Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Eritrea, and the Roman Catholic Church are officially recognised in Eritrea – all other church denominations have been banned since 2002. Thousands of Christians are detained without charge or trial, in inhumane, life threatening conditions. Even ‘authorised’ denominations suffer: Abune Antonios, the patriarch of the Orthodox Church, has been under house arrest since 2006.

However, 27 June 2014 was a historic moment for Eritrea, when the UN agreed to set up a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the horrific human rights abuses.

This week, please pray…

• Thank God for the amazing answer to prayer with the UN Commission of Inquiry;
• Pray that the Inquiry’s work will make people around the world more aware of Eritrea’s human rights crisis;
• Pray that the Eritrean authorities would cooperate with the UN, and that the UN would take decisive action to bring justice to Eritrea;
• Pray for healing and safety for Eritrean refugees who have suffered appalling mistreatment on account of their faith;
• Ask God to comfort and provide for the families of Christians and thousands of others unjustly imprisoned in Eritrea;
• Pray for God to bring comfort to those with family members and friends detained in unknown locations;
• Pray for justice for all Eritreans who face persecution, mistreatment and unfair imprisonment.