His Excellency Issayas Afewerki
President of Eritrea
Office of the President
C/o Permanent Representative to UN
Email: eritrea@un.int


Your Excellency,

I am writing on the occasion of 3 May, World Press Freedom Day, to call for the release of fifteen imprisoned journalists, many of whom were arrested during the September 2001 crackdown on the press.

Your government has refused to provide information on their health, whereabouts, or legal status of the detained journalists. Most have not been formally charged despite having spent five years in detention.

Dawit Isaac, a journalist with Swedish and Eritrean dual nationality and founder of the now-banned weekly Setit, was briefly released on 19 November 2005. He was able to telephone his wife and friends, telling them he had just been freed and would soon be with them. Two days later, for reasons that remain unclear, he was forced to return to prison.

In addition to Mr Isaac, the following journalists are known to be in prison today:

Zemenfes Haile, Tsigenay, January 1999
Ghebrehiwet Keleta, Tsigenay, July 2000
Selamyinghes Beyene, Meqaleh, Autumn 2001
Amanuel Asrat, Zemen 18 September, 2001
Medhanie Haile, Keste Debena, 18 September, 2001
Yusuf Mohamed Ali, Tsigenay, 18 September, 2001
Mattewos Habteab, Meqaleh, 18 September, 2001
Temesken Ghebreyesus, Keste Debena, 18 September, 2001
Said Abdelkader, Admas 18 September, 2001
Seyoum Tsehaye, freelance, 18 September, 2001
Dawit Habtemichael, Meqaleh, 18 September, 2001
Fesshaye "Joshua" Yohannes, Setit, 18 September, 2001
Hamid Mohammed Said, Eritrean State Television, 15 February, 2002
Saleh Aljezeeri, Eritrean State Radio, 15 February, 2002

The continued imprisonment of Mr Isaac and his colleagues constitutes a deep blemish on the international standing of Eritrea, which can only be erased by their release

I respectfully remind you that the jailing of these fifteen journalists constitutes a clear breach of their right to freedom of expression, which is guaranteed by numerous international conventions, including Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Furthermore, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights considers that "detention, as punishment for the peaceful expression of an opinion, is one of the most reprehensible ways to enjoin silence and, as a consequence, a grave violation of human rights".

I respectfully call on you to ensure all fifteen journalists are immediately released from prison. To do so would be recognised by all international observers as an act of justice and strength by your government.

I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

Yours sincerely,