Fitsum-Berhan Gebrenegus

Extra Bio Info:

Fitsum-Berhan Gebrenegus is detained for his religious belief and activity.  Early in life, Dr Fitsum served as a deacon in the Eritrean Orthodox Church, a denomination the Eritrean government ostensibly allows to operate in the country. He was later ordained as a priest and became one of the organizers of the renewal movement centered on the Medhane Alem (Saviour of the World) church in Asmara. He also served as the senior physician at St Mary Psychiatric Hospital in Asmara and was the only psychiatrist in Eritrea. Dr Fitsum helped organize the Medhane Alem movement. Police arrested him on November 18, 2004, due to his involvement in the Mekane Hiwet Medhane-Alem Church.  He has been detained incommunicado since then, reportedly at the Wengel Mermera Central Criminal Investigation Interrogation Center, part of Asmara’s 2nd Police Station. In late 2023, it was reported that Dr. Fitsum was in good health, though he had suffered in the past from mental health challenges. As of 2024, he has been imprisoned for 20 years. He has one child and was unable to see his wife before she died of cancer.