Jump to content
JWTalk - Jehovah's Witnesses Online Community

Eritrea: Our brothers in prisons at high risk from Covid-19


We lock topics that are over 365 days old, and the last reply made in this topic was 1209 days ago. If you want to discuss this subject, we prefer that you start a new topic.

Recommended Posts

“Detainees in Eritrea are at great risk of contracting infectious diseases because of the overcrowded and unsanitary conditions they are being held in,” said Deprose Muchena.

At the Mai Serwa Asmera Flowers facility, in reality a forced labour camp where Jehovah’s Witnesses and other detainees are forced to work on flower farms, there are no toilets for detainees. All 700 of them, both men and women, relieve themselves out in the open. At Mai Serwa Maximum Security prison, there are only 20 toilets for 500 detainees.

In Adi Abeyito, detainees can relieve themselves only twice daily in toilets located outside the compound. The prison has toilets within its grounds reserved for use in the rainy season or extraordinary circumstances such as suspected strikes or prison breaks. In 2015, detainees raised money and built a toilet in each detention hall to cater for the needs of the sick, elderly or those with disabilities.

No social distance

The four prisons are extremely congested; Adi Abeyito holds more than four times its capacity of 800 people, Ala prison holding about triple its capacity of 1,200 people while Mai Serwa has more than double its 230-person capacity.

The vast majority have never been formally charged or brought to court and do not know when, or if, their detention will end.

They are held in spaces ranging from 2x2m cells for solitary confinement at the Mai Serwa Maximum prison, to shipping containers holding more than 20 detainees, and halls measuring up to 10x20m. Detainees generally take turns to sleep on bare floors because beds or mattresses are not allowed.

 

Read more: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/05/eritrea-detainees-in-overcrowded-and-unsanitary-conditions-defenceless-against-covid19/

Some minds are like concrete ...all mixed up and permanently set! 😁

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

I do hope and pray that this is not fake news! Will wait for official confirmation from our website - then we’ll know if it’s true or not. But if it is true......my heart is already overflowing with thanksgiving. If not, Jehovah continues holding their hands and preserving them. Our petitions will continue to ascend.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:nope: Disappointing. It doesn't seem that the above Facebook story is true. I feel very sorry and apologize for raising my (our) hopes high  - I badly wanted it to be true. I hoped that something this good would come out of this pandemic. Please ignore that post. Meantime, we keep praying and waiting patiently.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Skye said:

:nope: Disappointing. It doesn't seem that the above Facebook story is true. I feel very sorry and apologize for raising my (our) hopes high  - I badly wanted it to be true. I hoped that something this good would come out of this pandemic. Please ignore that post. Meantime, we keep praying and waiting patiently.

Heartbreaking 💔  How did you discover that the story was false, please?  I looked for evidence yesterday and couldn't find anything. 

 

Thank you! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Even if this would have been partially true, the prisons mentioned in this news source, Adi Abeyto and May Serwa, are likely not where our brothers P'awlos, Yshaq and Negede have been kept for the past 26 years :(

 

An Amnesty International article does claim that some of our brothers are kept in May Serwa, though: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/05/eritrea-detainees-in-overcrowded-and-unsanitary-conditions-defenceless-against-covid19/

To this David said: “What have I done now? I was only asking a question!”

– 1 Samuel 17:29

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...
On 12/4/2020 at 9:06 AM, Skye said:

It happened!!!!!

So it did. I forgot about this post. Not that it matters but It would be interesting to see exactly when our brothers were released compared to your original posting. A few articles I read (not going to link but easily found) stated that 'evangelicals and others' were released starting in September from Eritrean prisons. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Leon J said:

So it did. I forgot about this post. Not that it matters but It would be interesting to see exactly when our brothers were released compared to your original posting.

They’re most probably unrelated. The breaking news on JW.org reads: “On December 4, 2020, 26 brothers and 2 sisters in Eritrea were set free after being imprisoned for their faith.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I learned yesterday that one of the brothers released in Eritrea was the father of a brother in our congregation. He was in there for 12 years. They are Eritrean. This was the second time he was imprisoned.The second time his son Emanuel Bereket fled and went to Ethiopia and learned Amharek and then went to Canada, then the U.S. and then into our hall. So we knew the son and his wife and their two children..just this past year they moved on to another hall..the father that was released is named Abraha Bereket. If anyone has the list of names it's the second one down..I have the list, just have to figure out how to post it..


Edited by Dove

One small crack doesn't mean you are broken; it means that you were put to the test and didn't fall apart..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

About JWTalk.net - Jehovah's Witnesses Online Community

Since 2006, JWTalk has proved to be a well-moderated online community for real Jehovah's Witnesses on the web. However, our community is not an official website of Jehovah's Witnesses. It is not endorsed, sponsored, or maintained by any legal entity used by Jehovah's Witnesses. We are a pro-JW community maintained by brothers and sisters around the world. We expect all community members to be active publishers in their congregations, therefore, please do not apply for membership if you are not currently one of Jehovah's Witnesses.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

JWTalk 23.8.11 (changelog)