{"id":8014,"date":"2024-01-25T22:14:38","date_gmt":"2024-01-25T22:14:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/opendoorsuk.org\/?p=8014"},"modified":"2024-02-14T16:59:52","modified_gmt":"2024-02-14T16:59:52","slug":"eritrea-arrests-christians","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/connect.opendoorsuk.org\/ireland\/blog\/news\/latest-news\/eritrea-arrests-christians\/","title":{"rendered":"At least 30 Christians arrested in Eritrea as police raid baby&#8217;s first birthday party"},"content":{"rendered":"    <section class=\"standard-page \" role=\"document\" style=\"\">\n        <div class=\"container\">\n            \n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Eritrea is number four on the latest World Watch List; Christians living there can face extreme persecution for their faith<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thirty Christian adults, plus an unknown number of children, have been arrested in Eritrea. They had&nbsp;gathered to celebrate the first birthday of a Christian family&#8217;s firstborn child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The incident happened in the country\u2019s capital, Asmara, on 20 January. According to an Open Doors source, whilst believers from the gathering were taken to a nearby police station, \u2018unbelievers were sent home\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cost-and-courage\">Cost and courage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eritrea is number four on the latest World Watch List, which was released last week. It\u2019s known as the \u2018North Korea of Africa\u2019 because of its intense authoritarian rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.opendoorsuk.org\/persecution\/world-watch-list\/eritrea\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">What\u2019s it like to be a Christian in Eritrea?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Only three Christian denominations are allowed \u2013 Orthodox, Lutheran and Catholic \u2013 and they are subject to heavy monitoring. Those who gather outside these recognised groups risk raids, fines and even long-term imprisonment, where conditions are notoriously awful.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This latest incident is a stark reminder of why Eritrea is so high on the World Watch List. But despite this, believers continue to courageously stand firm in their faith and many more are coming to know Jesus, too.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A large group of Christians have been arrested in Eritrea in a sobering reminder of why Eritrea is number four on the latest World Watch List.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":8022,"parent":8268,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[133],"class_list":["post-8014","news","type-news","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","tag-eritrea"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v20.8 (Yoast SEO v28.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>At least 30 Christians arrested in Eritrea as police raid baby&#039;s first birthday party - Open Doors 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