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PoFalert12Naizgi/Kiflu

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 EMAIL ALERT   
for prayer & action 
    
APRIL 2006 APRIL 2006 APRIL 2006 APRIL 2006    
Through our international network of missions, Release International serves 
persecuted Christians in 30 countries around the world by supporting pastors and 
Christian prisoners, and their families; supplying Christian literature and Bibles; and 
working for justice. 
 
Please see www.releaseinternational.org  for more information. 
 
© Release International 2006  Tel: 01689 823491 
Haile Naizgi  
Dr Kiflu Gebremeskel 
Country: Eritrea 
/triangle45right For God to intervene and for the release of all 
three pastors. 
 
/triangle45right For courage, safety and physical protection for 
each of the pastors together with approximately 
1800 Christians currently imprisoned in Eritrea.  
 
/triangle45right For  emotional, spiritual and physical strength. 
 
/triangle45right That they will soon be reunited with their 
families and loved ones. 
 
‘‘ ‘‘But while Peter was in prison, the But while Peter was in prison, the But while Peter was in prison, the But while Peter was in prison, the 
church prayed very earnestly for him church prayed very earnestly for him church prayed very earnestly for him church prayed very earnestly for him ’ ’ ’ ’ 
Acts 12:5 Acts 12:5 Acts 12:5 Acts 12:5    
PLEASE PRAY  
Approximately 150 Full Gospel house churches were 
effectively closed by government decree at a meeting 
with a government official on May 15, 2003. At that 
time the church groups were given an application 
form for government registration. The form was duly 
completed and returned to the appropriate offices, 
but no reply was ever received. In an escalation of 
events, two key leaders of the Full Gospel (Mullu 
Wongel) Church, one of  Eritrea's largest Pentecostal 
denominations, were arrested at 6am at their homes 
in Asmara on Sunday 23rd May 2004. During the 
arrests, police officials confiscated the keys to the 
pastors' church offices and verbally threatened the 
men's wives.  
 
Haile Naizgi, who served as chairman of the Full 
Gospel Church and Dr. Kiflu Gebremeskel, as 
chairman of the Eritrean Evangelical Alliance, were 
initially held in Asmara's 1st and 6th police stations 
respectively. Neither were allowed access to their 
families or other visitors. Both pastors are in their 
40’s, married and with four children. 
 
Naizgi previously worked as an accountant for World 
Vision. Dr Kiflu Gebremeskel, a member of the 
executive committee to the Full Gospel Church of 
Eritrea, was a mathematics lecturer, department and 
faculty head at the University of Asmara until 1999, 
when he became a full-time pastor at the Southwest 
Full Gospel Church. He has a PhD in mathematics 
from Chicago University. 
 
The arrests took place within a week of the arrest of 
another key Eritrean Christian leader Pastor 
Tesfatsion Hagos from the Rema Evangelical 
Church. All three remain incarcerated in the 
notorious Karchele security Prison in Asmara. 
Karchele  prison is a labyrinth of cells and rooms 
and houses a number of high profile political and 
military prisoners as well as Christians leaders and 
pastors. In a recent report, a former inmate said that 
in Karchele you can hear the screams throughout 
the night.  
 
On one occasion as the families were attempting to 
contact the imprisoned pastors, word came from 
one of the three, saying, 
‘don’t expect my release 
any time soon’.   A recent Amnesty International 
report suggested that  all three may have been 
sentenced extra-judicially to five years’ 
imprisonment by a secret security committee. 
 
Haile Naizgi Haile Naizgi Haile Naizgi Haile Naizgi    Dr Kiflu Dr Kiflu Dr Kiflu Dr Kiflu    

 
The rule of law in Eritrea is severely undermined by the lack of an effective or independent judiciary. 
Lawyers do not dare to challenge the government in the courts. A secret security committee sentences some political 
and religious prisoners to prison terms without defence representation or appeal. Organisations who might potentially 
monitor human rights and press for remedies for human rights violations do not and cannot function inside Eritrea on 
account of the comprehensive denial of the right to freedom of expression of opinion. Human rights violations by 
members of the security forces are often committed with impunity. 
 
Romans 12:14 ‘Bless those who persecute you’ 
Christian greeting card action 
 
The Eritrean authorities have not officially acknowledged the detention of these three pastors so it is not possible to 
send greeting cards directly to them. Instead, please send a Christian greeting card to General Sebhat Ephrem, the Eri- 
trean Minister of Defence, wishing him God’s blessing and asking him to pass on your greetings/ kind thoughts/ best 
wishes to those pastors and Christian prisoners currently detained in at least 12 different locations across the country. 
This will also ensure that the Eritrean authorities are aware of the international concern about the imprisonment of 
Christians in that nation. On the advice of our partners, it is inappropriate at this time to write to, or name, individuals 
when writing to the Eritrean authorities. In the past this has led to prisoners being relocated to a more isolated and a 
more difficult situation. 
Please do not mention Release International, or advance your political opinion or include anything 
which could be insulting to the authorities. Please do not name individual prisoners. 
 
Please send your greeting card to: General Sebhat Ephrem 
Minister of Defence 
Ministry of Defence 
PO Box 629 
Asmara 
Eritrea 
 
You may also write a short, polite letter to the Eritrean authorities in support of Prisoners of Faith. 
A sample letter is given below. 
 
Dear [title], 
I am deeply concerned for the nation of Eritrea at this time and in particular for the situation where up to 
1800 Christians have been unjustly imprisoned. Where a prisoner is detained solely for the peaceful 
exercise of their right to freedom of religion, which is guaranteed in the Eritrean Constitution, I request that 
they be released unconditionally. 
In the interim, may I urge you to ensure that that all such prisoners are given access to their families, legal 
advice and any medical treatment required. 
 
President 
His Excellency Isaias Afewerki 
President of the State of Eritrea 
Office of the President 
P O Box 257, Asmara, Eritrea 
Fax: + 2911 125123 
Salutation: Your Excellency 
 
Ms Fawzia Hashim 
Minister of Justice 
Ministry of Justice 
P O Box 241 
Asmara, Eritrea 
Salutation: Dear Minister 
 
Commissioner of Prisons 
Brigadier General 
Ghirmay Mehari 
Department of Penitentiary Institutions 
Ministry of Internal Affairs 
PO Box 712 
Asmara, Eritrea 
Salutation: Dear Commissioner