Gender: Male
Current Location: Wengel Mermera Central Criminal Investigation Interrogation Center
Perpetrator: Eritrea
Religion or Belief: Christian – Protestant
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Date of Detainment: September/1/2007
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: Yes
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Discussing Religion & Religious Texts Religious Instruction & Teaching
Mussie Ezaz
Extra Bio Info:
Mussie Ezaz is detained for his religious activity.
In September 2007, authorities arrested Ezaz, an evangelist of 14 years and leader of the unregistered evangelical Kale Hiwot (Word of Life) Church. Authorities held him in a small village prison. When Ezaz escaped and tried to flee to Ethiopia, authorities captured and confined him in Wengel Mermera Central Criminal Investigation Interrogation Center. Authorities have held him incommunicado since his recapture, barring all communication with his wife and three sons.
Publicly Available Information:
"Musie Ezaz" The Voice of the Martyrs
"Mussie Ezaz" Church in Chains
"Mussie Ezaz has never been charged or tried" Release International
"Evangelist Arrested in Eritrea" International Christian Concern
"Mussie Ezaz" Jubilee Campaign
"Eritrea: The 'crime' of ministering to youth" Christians in Crisis
Gender: Male
Current Location: Wengel Mermera Central Criminal Investigation Interrogation Center
Perpetrator: Eritrea
Religion or Belief: Christian – Orthodox
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Date of Detainment: November/19/2004
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: Yes
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Discussing Religion & Religious Texts Religious Activity
Gebremedhin Gebregergis
Extra Bio Info:
Gebremedhin Gebregergis is detained for his religious activity and leadership role.
In November 2004, Eritrean police authorities arrested Gebregergis, a theologian and Eritrean Orthodox priest at the Mekane Hiwet Medhane-Alem Church, for leading an evangelical reform movement within the Orthodox church. Gebregergis taught New Testament in the local language, which the government-controlled Orthodox church prohibited. Gebregergis' arrest came amid a sweep of crackdowns on evangelical pastors and leaders of the Medhane Alem (Savior of the World) renewal movement, following the ban of evangelical churches in 2002. Authorities confined him in Wengel Mermera Central Criminal Investigation Interrogation Center and held him incommunicado for over 20 years without charge or trial.
Publicly Available Information:
"Gebremedhin Gebregergis" The Voice of the Martyrs
"Rev Gebremedhin Gebregergis" The Voice of the Martyrs
"From the Outhouse to the Penthouse -- the mesmerizing Genesis 41" First Baptist Thompson
"Eritrea: Orthodox Patriarch dies after 15 years house arrest" Independent Catholic News
Jun 9, 2025
Vicky Hartzler Elected Chair of Bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Asif Mahmood Elected Vice Chair
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today elected Vicky Hartzler as its Chair for 2025-2026. USCIRF Commissioners also elected Asif Mahmood as the Commission’s Vice Chair.
“USCIRF is a vital part of the United States foreign policy efforts to promote religious freedom. This human right is enshrined in both our own constitution and in international law, but even more fundamentally it is etched in the heart of every person,” said Chair Hartzler, “It is an honor to serve as chair, and I will work with Vice Chair Mahmood and the other Commissioners continuing our bipartisan efforts to advance this right for everyone and everywhere abroad. I am grateful to outgoing Chair Stephen Schneck and Vice Chair Meir Soloveichik for their staunch and compassionate leadership. I also extend my thanks to former Commissioner Susie Gelman for her work and whose term concluded this past month.”
Chair Hartzler was appointed to USCIRF by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) in 2024. Prior to her appointment, she served as the congresswoman for Missouri’s fourth congressional district from 2011 to 2023. While in Congress she served on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) and “adopted” three Chinese pastors imprisoned for their faith through the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. She also sponsored “The Combatting the Persecution of Christians in China Act” and co-sponsored the “Uyghur Stop Oppressive Sterilization (SOS) Act.”
Vice Chair Mahmood was appointed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) in 2024. He is currently a practicing physician that lives in California. He is also a human rights activist, interracial and inter-faith community organizer, and philanthropist, leading advocacy campaigns on human rights in South Asia. He is a Board Member of Hope the Mission, one of the largest homeless shelters in California.
“Working for freedom of religion or belief is as important now as it has ever been. It requires concerted efforts from across the political spectrum and USCIRF’s bipartisan composition places it at the core of those efforts,” said Vice Chair Mahmood. “We must not let up in our work to recommend and advocate for policy in the U.S. government to help people live freely according to the dictates of their conscience. I look forward to continuing doing that with fellow Commissioners, including Commissioners Stephen Schneck and Meir Soloveichik.”
USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and leadership of both political parties in the Senate and House of Representatives. Also serving on the Commission are Ariela Dubler, Maureen Ferguson, Mohamed Elsanousi, Stephen Schneck, and Meir Soloveichik. Read the Commissioners’ biographies here.
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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan legislative branch agency established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected]