Eritrea

Eritrean government fosters climate of impunity
Wedged between Ethiopia and Sudan in the Horn of Africa, the history of Eritrea is an appalling story of poverty and a 30 year war to gain its independence from neighbouring Ethiopia . The government has consistently denied the population both free expression and basic human rights since gaining independence in 1993 and has practiced impunity against journalists by allowing them to die in prison.

Eritrea has earned the dubious distinction of being the leading jailer of journalists in Africa , branded a predator nation and a "black hole" for information. The country has joined China, Cuba and North Korea at the bottom of RSF's Worldwide Press Freedom Index.

It is believed that of the 23 journalists held in Eritrean jails, four have died in captivity. "These arbitrary detentions place Eritrea in contravention of international and regional human rights treaties which the government has only recently ratified. They also foster a climate of impunity on the part of authorities," Amnesty International said.

Private media shut down
In 2001, Eritrea banned private media, rounded up journalists and threw them in secret jails on the pretext of being spies and mercenaries. A few managed to elude capture and now advocate on their colleagues behalf from exile. It is believed that at least 18 journalists were jailed in the initial roundup. The Eritrean government's heavy-handed move to crush free expression came just days after 9/11, while the attention of the world was focused on the war on terrorism.

In November 2006, the government jailed ten more journalists from the state media, following the defection of several leading journalists. The state media workers were arrested on suspicion of maintaining contact with the defectors or of trying to flee.

38 organizations petition Eritrean President (click here for more)
The Eritrean exile community and media watchdogs have been demanding the release of jailed Eritrean journalists ever since the initial crackdown. Held without charges and denied visits from the International Committee of the Red Cross, 38 organizations have recently petitioned Eritrean President Issaias Afeworki on their behalf.

Efforts to win their release come too late for Fesshaye “Joshua” Yohannes. Yohannes, a contributor to the defunct weekly Setit and a recipient of CPJ's International Press Freedom award in 2002, died in a prison outside the capital Asmara in February 2007.

News of Yohannes' death comes on the heels of reports in 2006 that three other Eritrean journalists had died in detention: Medhane Haile, Said Abdelkader and Yusuf Mohamed Ali.

Aaron Berhane now lives in Toronto and publishes Meftih a newspaper for the Eritrean dispora. Berhane was an editor at Setit and knew Fesshaye Yohannes.

"Joshua was a very good person and committed to serving people. His death is a terrible tragedy." said Berhane. "The government has to show some sympathy to his wife children by producing his body."

By David Sharpe
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Related links:

Four Journalists Killed In Eritrea

Spotlight: Fesshaye "Joshua" Yohannes

Eritrean Journalists in Exile

Meftih: Toronto 's Voice of the Eritrean Dispora