Christian mother who died in Eritrean prison showed signs of torture, relatives say

The Christian mother of three who died earlier this month while she was detained in an Eritrean prison had signs of torture on her body, according to her relatives.

Fikadu Debesay was arrested along with her husband in May as part of the Eritrean government's crackdown against unregistered churches. In early August, the Christian mother died in detention at a camp at Metkel Abiet, north of Eritrea's capital of Asmara.

The desert camp is situated between the towns of Gahtelai and Shieb in the Northern Red Sea Region, which is known for its oppressive heat and aridity.

During Debesay's burial in Mendefera on Aug. 10, mourners revealed to Morning Star News that she had an unusual scar on her face as well as a scar on her left hand, "which could have been a sign of some mistreatment or intense sunburn that resulted to her untimely death."

One relative said that Debesay's children have been asking about what happened to their mother. "It has been very difficult consoling the children. They want to know what happened to their mother," said a relative who is now taking care of the children.

The relative further stated that one of the children remarked, "Our parents were picked up by unknown people while we were praying at home, only for our mum to come back in a coffin. Where is our dad?"

Eritrea's crackdown on unregistered Christian sects has been ongoing since May 2002, when the government introduced a law banning religious practices not affiliated with the Catholic, Evangelical, Lutheran and Orthodox Christian denominations or Sunni Islam.

According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), arrests are taking place monthly, with as many as 210 Christians detained in desert camps and military facilities since May.

"Like Fikadu Debesay, several are parents, and according to local sources, over 50 children are currently without one or both parents as a result of these raids," CSW noted.

In May, 45 Christians were arrested, including elderly men and a disabled woman, from their homes in Adi Quala and were transported to Adi Aglis detention camp. Later that month, 15 Christians were arrested in Gindae town in the Northern Red Sea Region, while 17 were arrested in the Godaif District of Asmara.

In July, 16 female national service conscripts in their late teens who were serving in Adi Halo village, 20 miles from Asmara, were taken from their assignments and were detained in Metkel Abiet camp.

"Other Christians and family members who attempted to visit them were also imprisoned," CSW said in a press statement. "The detainees' hair was forcibly shaved off in what local sources describe as an additional sign of humiliation in a society where a woman's hair is regarded as a sign of decency and sanity," it continued.

Christian support organization Open Doors has ranked Eritrea in its 2017 World Watch List as the 10th nation where it is most difficult to be a Christian. The organization noted that Christians are often considered as "agents of the West" and a threat to the state. Some Christians have been incarcerated in Eritrean prisons for more than 11 years, some in shipping containers amid scorching heat, according to Open Doors.