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Two of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Habtemichael Tesfamariam and Habtemichael Mekonen, died in the Mai Serwa Prison near Asmara in early 2018. Both had been arrested and imprisoned in the summer of 2008 for their religious beliefs and suffered through nearly a decade of harsh prison conditions.

Mr. Tesfamariam died suddenly at the age of 76 in the Mai Serwa Prison on January 3, 2018. His fellow prisoners believe that he suffered a stroke. Mr. Tesfamariam was born in 1942 in Adi Yakulu, Mendefera, Eritrea. He became one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1970 and refused to compromise his faith, despite unjust imprisonment and maltreatment. He is survived by his wife, Leterberhan Bezabih; four sons; and three daughters.