Khartoum, Sudan, Oct 24, 2007 / 09:06 am
An Eritrean Christian gospel singer who faced torture and unjust imprisonment in her homeland has been granted asylum in Denmark, BBC News reports.
Helen Berhane was imprisoned in a metal shipping container and beaten in an effort to make her recant her faith. She was forced into torturous physical positions, and now uses a wheelchair because of the injuries caused to her legs and feet.
A member of an unregistered Rema Church, Ms. Berhane had just released a cassette of gospel music before she was arrested in the Eritrean capital in May of 2004.
The Eritrean government recognizes four religions: the Orthodox, Catholic, and Lutheran Churches and Islam. 90% of Eritreans belong to these groups. Ms. Berhane was among the estimated two thousand detained members of the country’s various illegal evangelical church groups.