Yusuf Mohamed Ali, Mattewos Habteab, Dawit Habtemichael,
Medhanie Haile, Temesgen Ghebreyesus, Emanuel Asrat, Wedi Ade, Dawit Isaac, Fesshaye Yohannes,
and Said Abdulkader
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Professional backgrounds:
All of these journalists are members of the independent press in Eritrea. Yusuf Mohamed
Ali is editor-in-chief of the weekly Tsigenay. He was previously detained for several
weeks in October 2000. Editor-in-chief Mattewos Habteab and journalist
Dawit Habtemichael both work for the weekly Meqaleh. There
are reports that Habteab was arrested several times during the first months of 2002.
Medhanie Haile is editor-in-chief of the weekly Keste Debena, where Temesgen Ghebreyesus
is acolumnist and member of the board of directors. Emanuel Asrat is editor and Wedi
Ade an assistant editor of the weekly Zemen. Journalist Dawit Isaac is with Setit, as
is Fesshaye Yohannes, who is publisher and editor-in-chief of the weekly. Said
Abdulkader is editor-in-chief of the weekly Admas.
Case histories:
On September 18, 2001, Eritrean authorities abruptly banned all non-state print media
outlets. According to sources in the capital, security forces then sealed off the
newsrooms of Tsigenay, Meqaleh, Keste Debena, Zemen, Setit, and Admas after removing
computers, phones, fax machines, and other equipment. A few days later, police began
rounding up independent news professionals. By September 25, 2001, officers had
arrested at least 11 reporters and held them incommunicado.
Yusuf Mohamed Ali was arrested at his home on September 18, 2001. Mattewos Habteab was picked up on September 19, having just been released from an earlier detention. It is reported Dawit Habtemichael was arrested on or about September 21. Temesgen Ghebreyesus was arrested on September 20. Emanuel Asrat was picked up by plainclothes security agents sometime during the month of September. Fesshaye Yohannes was arrested in the early hours of September 27. Said Abdulkader was picked up by security agents on September 20. Wedi Ade was arrested around September 20. No charges are known to have been filed against any of the 11 journalists.
Current status:
All but the last two of these journalists began a hunger strike on March 31, 2002 in
what they said, according to a letter smuggled out of prison, was a protest against their
illegal detention and to demand "justice before a fair and independent court." Those
on hunger strike report that they have only undergone questioning on one occasion. Their
interrogators wanted to know if they had links with 11 government officials who were
detained in September 2001 after publishing an open letter critical of the government.
Several other journalists have fled the country to avoid arrest.
PEN is deeply disturbed at the Eritrean authorities' practice of detaining independent
journalists under the spurious guise of national security. It calls on the Eritrean
authorities to release all imprisoned journalists as a matter of urgency and to desist
from all measures that hamper freedom of expression in the country.
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Please write a polite letter on your personal or institutional letterhead requesting that the 11 journalists be released - or copy the one below - and mail to His Excellency President Issaias Afeworki (postage 37¢) and to the Ambassador Girma Asmerom (postage 37¢). |
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[Date]
H. E. President Issaias Afeworki Your Excellency, I am writing to express my grave and urgent concern about the imprisonment without charges of several journalists in your country. I am particularly concerned for the well being of nine journalists who have been on hunger strike since March 31, 2002: Yusuf Mohamed Ali, Mattewos Habteab, Dawit Habtemichael, Medhanie Haile, Temesgen Ghebreyesus, Emanuel Asrat, Dawit Isaac, Fesshaye Yohannes, Said Abdulkader. We are seriously concerned that these journalists, and their colleague Wedi Ade are being detained solely for the peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression as guaranteed by Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which your country has ratified. Please reconsider their cases and, in a spirit of humanity, facilitate their immediate release as a concrete demonstration of your commitment to reestablish freedom of expression in Eritrea. Sincerely, [Your name and signature]
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