International community urged to act after death of Eritrean church leader in prison

Appeals have been made to the international community to place pressure on Eritrea to uphold religious liberty after the death of a church leader in prison. 

Rev Ghirmay Araya was one among the founding fathers of the Full Gospel Church in Eritrea and was arrested and jailed for his faith in 2021, despite never being charged with any crime.

He died last week aged 83 while still being held on the maximum-security Wengel Mermera Central Criminal Investigation Centre.

His supporters told Release International, a charity supporting persecuted Christians, that Rev Araya “endured his suffering with steadfast faith”. 

Release International partner Dr Berhane Asmelash said he was “deeply saddened” by Rev Araya’s death.

“Rev Ghirmay served the church diligently for greater than 60 years in each Eritrea and Ethiopia. His ministry prolonged across the Orthodox, Lutheran, and eventually Full Gospel churches,” he said.

Rev Araya is survived by five children and 13 grandchildren. Local sources say that one among his sons, a Lutheran minister, is currently imprisoned in a shipping container. 

It is believed that there are lots of of other Christians in prison in Eritrea. Dr Asmelash said that many are “getting on in age and suffer from various health conditions”. He is looking on the international community to act.

“All our calls to the federal government of Eritrea have fallen on deaf ears. So I call on the international community and fellow believers to place pressure on the federal government about attempting to stop this barbaric act against individuals who have done nothing incorrect,” he said. 

Dr Asmelash has just published his biography, Brother, I Have Come to Arrest You, which tells the story of his own arrest and imprisonment due to his Christian faith. 

The book is endorsed by Fiona Bruce MP, vice chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief, who said “the world should know of the suffering and bravado of 1000’s of Eritreans, barbarically imprisoned, tortured, and killed – simply on account of their beliefs”.

“And to know that this is occurring right away, within the third decade of the twenty first century,” she said. 

“This just isn’t low cost grace,” she added.

Release International CEO Paul Robinson said: “This is a remarkable account of the importance – and possibility – of standing strong in the religion under essentially the most appalling of conditions, because the tragic death of Rev Ghirmay Araya serves as an example.

“As Fiona Bruce and Dr Berhane remind us, there isn’t any such thing as low cost grace. And this book serves as a wake-up call to the Church within the free world, to really value our freedom and to make use of it effectively for the Gospel.”