Prisoner's List-Africa (updated May 2012)
ALGERIA-Went into hiding
HABIBA KOUIDER was arrested in March, 2008 for “practicing a non-Muslim religion without a permit.” Pending the outcome of her trail, Habiba was released but has since gone into hiding. Other believers in Egypt, Eritrea, Morocco, Nigeria and Sudan are either imprisoned or have fled because of their Christian faith.
EGYPT-Prisoners
GAMAL ABDOU MASSOUD (1995) – On April 4, 2012 Gamal, a Coptic Christian teenager, was sentenced to three years in prison in Assuit for allegedly insulting Islam. The court claimed that he posted cartoons on his Facebook account that mocked the Islamic religion and its prophet Muhammad.
IBRAHIM FAWZY ABDO and REFAAT FAWZY ABDO – On Nov 22, 2008 these men were wrongly accused of killing a Muslim. Egyptian authorities sent Ibrahim and Refaat to El Wadi El Gadid Detention Camp. On May 3, 2009, they were released on bail but the Minya State Security Services issued a new detention order and rearrested them on May 20, 2009, for “security reasons.” They are still detained.
MAKRAM DIAB - Coptic school secretary sentenced to 6 years of prison on March 1, 2012 for “insulting the prophet Mohammad.” He is held in Assuit prison.
METAOS WAHBA - Father Metaos Wahba is from the Santa-Maria Church. On October 2008 he was accused of forging documents where he celebrated the wedding of a Christian man with a female Christian convert from Islam. He has been sentenced to 5 years of prison.
EGYPT-Released Prisoner
SHAIBOUB W. ARSAL (1964) - Arrested on September 22, 1998 and falsely accused of the murders of two Coptic Christians in El-Kosheh. On June 5, 2000, he was sentenced to 38 years of hard labor. He is married with 3 children. Although unconfirmed, he might have been released in 2010 after 12 years in prison.
ERITREA-Prisoners
HABTOM TESFAMICHEL (1950) - Pastor arrested on January 23, 2007. He had been pastoring the Full Gospel Church’s Asmara congregation since its previous pastor, Kidane Weldou, was jailed in March 2005.
ZECHARIAS ABRAHAM - Pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Asmara, he was arrested at the end of a worship service on Sunday April 29, 2007. He had taken over the chairmanship of the Eritrean Evangelical Alliance since the arrest of his predecessor, Haile Naizgi, in 2004.
ABRAHAM YOSIEF - Pastor and leader of a Coptic Revival group
ALEM GENZEBU - Pastor of the Kale-Hiwot Church
OQBAMICHEL TEKLKEHAYMANOT - Pastor of the Kale-Hiwot Church
FREWINI TESFAY - Female preacher of the Rhema Church
KIDANE ZEREMARIAM - Evangelist of the Rhema Church
FREZGI HAILE - Elder of the Philadelphia Church
GEBREAB JORJO and HABTOM TEWOLDE - Pastors of the Full Gospel Church
GEBREMICHEL HAGOS - Elder of the Kale-Hiwot Church
SAMRAWIT MEHARI - Female Christian leader of the Philadelphia Church
MESFIN KIFLEMARIAM and ZERIT HAGOS - Pastors of the Halleluiah Church
All the above were arrested in 2007 and detained.
ABRAHAM MEGARI, Pastor, and BERHANE GOITOM, Evangelist of the Rhema Church, AKLILU MEHARIZGI, Elder of the Hallelujah Church, PETROS GEBRESELASI, Evangelist of the Kale-Hiwot Church, all were arrested in April 2008 and detained.
ISAIAS GHIDE - Pastor of the Church of the Living God was arrested in August 2008 and detained.
MEBRAHTU TESFAY - Pastor of the Full Gospel Church in Mendefera was arrested in November 2008 and detained.
MENGESTEAB BELAY, Pastor of the Hallelujah Church and MUSIE EZAZE, Pastor of the Kale-Hiwot Church, both arrested in 2008 and detained.
GEBRETENSAI HADEGU - Orthodox monk of the community Maria in Asmara. Arrested in June 2009.
ERITREA-Unclear Status
LEULE GEBREAB (1972) - Pastor Leule Gebreab of Asmara’s Apostolic Church failed to return home to his family on August 12, 2007. He has two children.
MOROCCO-Prisoner
JAMAA AIT BAKRIM (1964) Muslim background believer, sentenced to 15 years in prison on December 28, 2005 in Agadir. He was accused of destruction of the goods of others and proselytism and is detained in Kenitra prison.
NIGERIA-Unclear Status
PETER IMASUEN - Anglican archbishop of Benin diocese was kidnapped on Jan. 24, 2010 in Southern Nigerian Edo state.
SIMI MALTIDA KIM (1987) - Christian student kidnapped on September 1, 2011 during a wave of violence against Christians in the city of Bauchi. Her parents, Helen and Dakim Gyang Bot, do not have any news of her wherabouts.
SOMALIA-Prisoners
ANAB GHELLE HASSAN (1995) - A young Muslim background believer, she was kidnapped by Al-Shabaab gunmen on February 15, 2010. Her father Aded and her family went into hiding for security reasons.
OSMAN NOUR HASSAN (1970) - Muslim background believer arrested in Somaliland on August 3, 2009 and detained in Mandere prison. He is accused of distributing Christian literature.
SUDAN-Prisoners
HAWA ABDALLA MUHAMMAD SALEH - Muslim background believer arrested on May 9, 2011 in the Darfur camp and detained in an unknown location in Khartoum. She is charged of possession of Bibles and distributing them. She might be charged of apostasy.
SUDAN-Unclear Status
REV. JOSEPH MAKWEY and REV. SYLVESTER MOGGA - Catholic priests kidnapped on January 15, 2012 in St. Josephine Bakhita’s Catholic Church compound in Rabak, 260 Kilometers south of Khartoum, by Islamic militias loyal to the Sudanese government.
SUDAN-Went into hiding
REV. ABRAHAM LUAL - Catholic priest of Kadugli parish in South Kordofan state went into hiding in September 2011. He was detained and tortured three times in the last months.