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afrol News, 18 September - Activist from the French media watchdogs Reporters sans frontières (RSF) occupied the Eritrean embassy in Paris for two hours today to demand the release of 18 journalists imprisoned in the country and an end to the government's ban on all independent newspapers. Police were called to remove them from the embassy. - It is unacceptable that, with complete impunity, a government can deprive a whole people of their right to be informed, said RSF Secretary-general Robert Ménard. "We urge all international organisations, especially the United Nations and the European Union, to impose sanctions against the Eritrean leaders." - For the past year, we have regularly asked for visas so we can visit these imprisoned journalists, but the government stubbornly refuses to allow us into the country, Ménard added. RSF called on the Eritrean authorities, notably President Issaias Afewerki, "to free all the journalists being held and allow privately-owned media to operate again." All non-government media were shut down on 18 September last year and 18 journalists have since been arrested. A year later, their whereabouts are unknown, they have not been tried and no official reason has been given for their detention. Eritrea is the only country in Africa and one of the few in the world with no privately-owned media. Only the government media, tightly controlled by the regime, are permitted. The few resident foreign correspondents have left the country because they could no longer operate freely and in complete safety. The country's privately-owned newspapers announced on 18 September last year that they were publishing their last issues until further notice after getting government orders to shut down. The head of state television said on the air that the privately-owned media had "had time to fix their erring ways" and were "putting the unity of the country in danger." Also Amnesty International today called on the Eritrean authorities to "immediately and unconditionally end the unlawful detention of dozens of prisoners of conscience and human rights defenders," as it released a new report 'Eritrea: Arbitrary detentions of government critics and journalists'. An Amnesty spokesman said that: "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." At least 10 journalists have been arrested and taken to the main police station in Asmara, the capital. They were Yusuf Mohamed Ali, editor of 'Tsigenay', who had been jailed for several weeks in October 2000; Mattewos Habteab, editor of 'Meqaleh', arrested several times in 2000 and 2001; Dawit Habtemichael, his deputy; Medhanie Haile (deputy editor) and Temesgen Gebreyesus (board member) of 'Keste Debena'; Emanuel Asrat, editor of 'Zemen'; Dawit Isaac and Fessehaye Yohannes, of the newspaper 'Setit'; Said Abdulkader, of the magazine 'Admas', and a freelance photographer, Seyoum Tsehaye. Since then, four other journalists have been arrested: Simret Seyoum, managing editor of 'Setit', Hamid Mohamed Said and Saidia, of the government TV station 'Eri-TV' and Saleh al-Jezaeeri, of the government radio station 'Voice of the Broad Masses'. Four more journalists are missing: Zemenfes Haile, former founder-manager of 'Tsigenay', may have been held in a desert camp since 1999; Ghebrehiwet Keleta, also with 'Tsigenay', was reportedly arrested in July 2000. Selamyinghes Beyene, of Meqaleh, and Binyam Haile, of 'Haddas Eritrea', is believed to have been arrested in autumn 2001. Sources: Based on RSF,
Amnesty and afrol archives
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