The women were arrested in 2017 after a series of raids on underground churches by the Eritrean authorities. Many of their husbands were conscripts, leaving their children without anyone to care for them, human rights group Release International reports.

There are an estimated 500 Christian prisoners of faith in Eritrea, a country ruled by a military dictatorship that outlawed every form of religion except Islam, Orthodox Christianity, Roman Catholicism and the Lutheran Church.

When arrested, persecuted Christians often disappear without a trace, leaving their family with no information on their whereabouts or safety. 

Source: persecution.org