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15 JOURNALISTS STILL IMPRISONED

Fifteen journalists are still languishing in Eritrean prisons nearly two years after a crackdown on the independent media, according to Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the Association of Eritrean Journalists in Exile (AEJE). The two organisations criticise the "arbitrary" way in which the authorities carry out arrests as well as the secrecy surrounding journalists arrested in Eritrea.

Eritrea is still the only country in Africa, and one of the few in the world, without privately-owned media outlets, reports RSF. On 18 September 2001, the government ordered the closure of all privately-owned newspapers and launched an unprecedented wave of arrests of journalists. Most of the 15 journalists still imprisoned were arrested during the latter half of September 2001.

The government often justifies the imprisonment of journalists by claiming, contrary to the evidence, that they have failed to do their military service, says RSF. The most recent example was the 8 July arrest of local Voice of America (VOA) stringer Akhlilu Solomon, who had produced a report about the distress among soldiers' families [see IFEX alert: http://www.ifex.org/es/content/view/full/52113/].

For more information, visit:
- RSF: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=7775and http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=6414- Committee to Protect Journalists: http://www.cpj.org/news/2003/Eritrea22may03na.htmland http://www.cpj.org/attacks02/africa02/eritrea.html- Human Rights Watch: http://www.hrw.org/wr2k3/africa4.html