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Eritrea: Persecuted Christian Singer Granted Asylum
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Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)
23 October 2007
Posted to the web 23 October 2007
Copenhagen
A Christian gospel singer who was detained and tortured by the government for two years for her faith has been granted asylum in Denmark.
Helen Berhane was arrested in May 2004 and imprisoned at a military camp near the capital, Asmara. She was beaten so as to force her to withdraw from the unregistered Rema Church.
Berhane now moves around in a wheelchair because of severe injuries inflicted on her legs and feet during prison beatings. She is among an estimated 2,000 members of illegal evangelical churches in Eritrea arrested in recent years, according to Amnesty International.
The BBC reported that on Friday, Berhane and her daughter were granted asylum in Denmark.
"We are relieved that Helen and her daughter Eva are finally safe and would like to thank everyone who has supported them," said Dr Berhane Asmelash, Director of Release Eritrea.
"We are thrilled that Helen [Berhane] has now finally found refuge for herself and her daughter after so many years of suffering," said Mervyn Thomas the Chief Executive of the Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
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In Eritrea, more than 90 percent of the people are members of four recognized religions: Orthodox, Catholicism, Lutheran and Islam.
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