eritrea: CPJ calls for release of imprisoned journalists

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) marked the second anniversary of the Eritrean government's crackdown on the country's political opposition and the private press by calling for the release of 17 jailed journalists. With the journalists in prison and no domestic independent media, Eritrea has earned the dubious distinction of being Africa's leading jailer of journalists, as well as one of CPJ's "10 Worst Places to be a Journalist" two years in a row.

IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
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PRESS RELEASE/UPDATE - ERITREA

19 September 2003

CPJ calls for release of imprisoned journalists

SOURCE: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), New York

**Updates IFEX alerts of 20 August, 23 and 2 May and 1 April 2003, 20 and 19
September, 7 and 2 August, 8 and 5 April 2002 and others; for further
information on CPJ's campaign to free Yohannes, see alerts of 23 May and 12
February 2003. Please note that Yohannes' name is spelled "Johannes" in a
previous alert**

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is an 18 September 2003 CPJ press release:

ERITREA: CPJ calls for release of imprisoned journalists

New York, September 18, 2003-The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
today marked the second anniversary of the Eritrean government's crackdown
on the country's political opposition and the private press by calling for
the release of 17 jailed journalists. [See list of jailed journalists:
http://www.cpj.org/news/2003/Eritrea18sept03na.html#list]. With the
journalists in prison and no domestic independent media, Eritrea has earned
the dubious distinction of being Africa's leading jailer of journalists, as
well as one of CPJ's "10 Worst Places to be a Journalist" two years in a
row.

On September 18, 2001, Eritrean authorities banned all non-state print media
outlets following calls from senior politicians for political reform and the
appearance of editorials on democracy and human rights in the local press.
Officials sealed off the newsrooms of weekly publications, such as Meqaleh,
Setit, and Tsigenay, and seized the newspapers' equipment, according to
sources in Eritrea's capital, Asmara.

Within days, the government began rounding up journalists, arresting at
least 10 by the end of the month. Several more reporters went into hiding or
fled the country.

During the last two years, authorities have arrested even more
journalists-almost all of them have been held incommunicado.

Eritrean authorities have given different reasons for the journalists'
arrests. In April 2003, President Isaias Afewerki said the journalists were
"spies" who had been bribed to create division in the country. Acting
Information Minister Ali Abdu echoed this sentiment in early May, calling
the journalists "mercenaries" and saying their imprisonment was a matter of
national security.

Officials have also claimed that some journalists are not in prison but are
performing mandatory national military service. Eritrean sources told CPJ
that this is an excuse meant to conceal the fact that these journalists have
been detained for criticizing the government and to prevent them from
practicing their profession.

CPJ has met and corresponded with numerous U.S. officials, including
Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, to gain support for the imprisoned
journalists. CPJ also conducted a fact-finding mission to Eritrea last
summer. (Click here to read an article based on that mission,
http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/2002/DA_fall_2002/Dangerous.pdf.)

In February 2003, CPJ delivered a petition with more than 600 signatures to
President Afewerki calling for the release of jailed Eritrean journalist
Fesshaye Yohannes (commonly known as Joshua), a recipient of CPJ's 2002
International Press Freedom Award.

"The Eritrean government has demonstrated that it has no regard whatsoever
for the rights of journalists," said CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper. "We
will not stop campaigning for our colleagues until they are released."

CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization that works to
safeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information about press
conditions in Eritrea, visit www.cpj.org.

For further information, contact Adam Posluns (ext. 107) at CPJ, 330 Seventh
Ave., New York, NY 10001, U.S.A., tel: +1 212 465 1004, fax: +1 212 465
9568, e-mail: [email protected], [email protected], Internet:
http://www.cpj.org/

The information contained in this press release/update is the sole
responsibility of CPJ. In citing this material for broadcast or publication,
please credit CPJ.
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