After several weeks of investigating reports from
sources in Eritrea and from prison guards who fled the country, Reporters Without Borders has been able to confirm that three more
journalists – DawitHabtemichael, MattewosHabteaband WediItay–
have died in the northeastern prison camp of Eiraeiro. All three had been held since late 2001.
Another journalist arrested in February 2009, whose
identity has not been established with certainty, has also reportedly died in
detention – in his case, in AbiAbeito
military prison near the capital, Asmara.
The only good news is that Tesfalidet
“Topo” Mebrahtu,
a well-known sports journalist who worked for state-owned radio DimtsiHafash and
state-owned Eri-TV, was “released
on bond” (he is still under surveillance, with relatives acting as
guarantors) in early 2012 after being held for 10 months.
“While all eyes are turned on Syria, another,
less visible, tragedy is being played out in Eritrea, a country forgotten by
the international community although it is the world’s leading media freedom
violator and Africa’s biggest prison for journalists “
Reporters Without Borders said.
“In Eritrea, journalists have been thrown in
prison just for daring to express their opinions. Some have been held for more
than 10 years and are disappearing one by one. Located in the northeast of the
country, Eiraeiro is not a prison, it is a death
camp.”
Reporters Without Borders
first revealed details about conditions at Eiraeiro in
January 2008 (http://en.rsf.org/eritrea-new-revelations-about-eiraeiro-30-01-2008,33372.html),
after meeting a former camp guard. Further details were provided in 2010, on
the basis of statements made by another former guard, Eyob Bahta, shortly after he fled to Ethiopia. What
follows is based on new eyewitness accounts from this death camp.
I – Three more of the journalists held since 2001 die
in detention
DawitHabtemichael
Arrested on 21 September 2001 after hiding for three
days in the school where he taught physics, Habtemichael
was the deputy editor and co-founder of the biweekly Meqaleh.
Aged 30 at the time of his arrest, he was one of the youngest of the Eritrean
journalists to be detained. After his mental health began to deteriorate in
2007, he became schizophrenic and finally lost all contact with reality in
2010. The failure to treat his steadily worsening mental condition is thought
to have been the cause of his death in the second half of 2010. He was prisoner
No. 12 at Eiraeiro.
MattewosHabteab
Meqaleh
co-founder and editor MattewosHabteab
and another journalist, TemesgenGebreyesus, were transferred to a prison in the Dahlak Archipelago in late 2008 but were subsequently
brought back to the mainland, to Eiraeiro, and it was
there that Habteab finally succumbed to the camp’s
appalling conditions.
SahleTsegazab, aka WediItay
Better known by the pen-name of Wedi Itay, SahleTsegazab was a freelance journalist and writer who often
worked for privately-owned newspapers such as Keste Debenaas well as the pro-government daily Hadas Eritrea. Arrested in October 2001, he
died at Eiraeiro from an identified illness and from
the lack of medical treatment.
It was previously established that four of the other
journalists arrested around the same time in 2001 – Medhanie
Haile, Yusuf Mohamed Ali, Said Abdulkader
and Fessehaye “Joshua” Yohannes –died in detention.
As a result, only four members of the group of
journalists arrested in September/October 2001 – Dawit Isaac,Seyoum Tsehaye, Amanuel Asrat and Temesgen Gebreyesus – are still alive.
II – Torture and mistreatment of state media journalists
held since 2009
Former prison guard Berhane
Afro fled the country earlier this year and is seeking asylum in Israel. He was
a guard at AdiAbeito
military prison, where most of the journalists arrested at Radio Bana and other state media in February 2009 are being
held.
He said information minister Ali Abdu and one of his
employees, identified only as Asmelash, went to AdiAbeito recently to talk to
the prison’s governor, WediWelela.
He also reported that journalists held at AdiAbeito are subjected to various forms of torture and
mistreatment including electric shock, beatings and solitary confinement. Food
is sometimes withheld and they are denied medical care.
A journalist identified only by the given name of Bereket reportedly died as a result of these appalling
conditions. It is believed that this journalist is Bereket Misghina, but Reporters Without
Borders cannot confirm this with complete certainty.
All the journalists arrested in 2009 are accused of
collaborating with western NGOs and government and with exile opposition
groups. They are allowed no visits. Some, such as the journalist, writer and
translator MulubrahanHabtegebriel and the young journalist and poet Meles Negusse, are still being held at AdiAbeito. Others have been
moved to other detention centres. They include Eri-TV journalist Isaac Abraham, who has been transferred to May Srwa.
