Please write a polite letter on your personal or institutional letterhead requesting that the journalists be released—or copy the one below—and mail to His Excellency President Issaias Afeworki (postage 41¢) and to the Ambassador Girma Asmerom (postage 41¢).

[Date]

H. E. President Issaias Afeworki
c/o Permanent Mission of Eritrea to the United Nations
800 Second Avenue, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10017

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]

Cc:
Ambassador Girma Asmerom
Embassy of Eritrea to the United States
1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20009