Seventy Christians from evangelical and orthodox backgrounds, including women, have been released from three prisons in Eritrea, some after being held without charge for more than a decade, according to the U.K.-based Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
In what could be an attempt to distract the attention of the international community from Eritrea’s role in the ongoing war in the Tigray region in neighboring Ethiopia, the Eritrean government last Monday released 21 female and 43 male prisoners from Mai Serwa and Adi Abeito prisons near the capital city of Asmara.
On January 27, six female prisoners, who had been in detention since last September, in Dekemhare, which is southeast of Asmara, were also released.
The women were arrested for worshiping in public, a video of which was shared by some on social media, CSW said.
Known as the Tigray War, the armed conflict has been ongoing since last November between the Tigray Regional Government (led by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front) and forces supportive of the Ethiopian government, which include military forces from Eritrea.
