Tortured Eritrean gospel singer granted asylum in Europe

Almost a year after her release, former Eritrean prisoner, Helen Berhane, yesterday arrived in a European country where she has been granted asylum.

Despite her ordeal in detention leaving her unable to walk without assistance, Ms Berhane and her sister managed to flee to Sudan in December 2006. She has maintained a low profile in Khartoum for the last 11 months, where she was later joined by her daughter.

Thousands of Eritreans are fleeing their country each month. The Eritrean government has allegedly responded to this by publicly executing anyone found to be assisting in these escapes, including the man who facilitated the escape of Ms. Berhane's daughter. Sources report that after execution the man's body was placed in a sack and unceremoniously deposited in front of his parent's home.

Ms Berhane initially applied for asylum in the UK, but Home Office delays in processing her application led to a decision to seek refuge in a different European country. She will now require medical attention for her fragile health.

32-year-old Helen Berhane is one of the most high-profile former prisoners from Eritrea, and her case was widely publicised around the world. She was a member of the Rhema Pentecostal Church.

She was incarcerated in May 2004 after she released an album of gospel music popular among young Eritrean Christians.

Ms Berhane is reported to have been held for extensive periods of time in shipping containers and in underground cells at the Mai-Serwa military camp. She repeatedly refused to sign a paper recanting her faith and promising not to participate in church-related activities.

In early 2006 Ms. Berhane was severely assaulted by a guard who beat her and left her for dead. She did not receive adequate treatment until a month before her release in November when she was admitted to hospital still showing signs of the physical mistreatment that disabled her.

Dr. Berhane Asmelash, Director of Release Eritrea said: "We are relieved that Helen and Eva are finally safe and would like to thank everyone who has supported them. We hope that Helen will now have the peace and space to recover her health and rebuild her life."

Christian Solidarity Worldwide's Chief Executive, Mervyn Thomas, said: "We are thrilled that Helen has now finally found refuge for herself and her daughter after so many years of suffering. The profile of her case made it impossible for Helen to remain in Eritrea, and in Sudan she faced the constant threat of being sent back.

"She was forced to move house on several occasions as delays in the asylum process left her in an increasingly vulnerable position, yet her courage and faith throughout her ordeal has been deeply inspiring.

"We cannot forget, however, that 2000 other Christians still languish in Eritrean detention centres simply for holding on to their faith. Eritreans are fleeing their homeland in droves because of their fear of this regime. We urge the international community to stop watching this situation develop and start intervening to create a brighter future for the people of this overlooked country."