30 November 2006
ARRESTS RAISE FEARS OF NEW CRACKDOWN ON MEDIA
Eritrea is one of the leading jailers of journalists in Africa, with 13 currently behind bars. Since a government crackdown on the press in 2001, all independent media outlets have been closed.
In recent weeks, at least nine other journalists from state-run media have been arrested, raising fears that a new round of repression is underway.
Since 12 November 2006, security forces have been visiting the offices of state-run media organisations and arresting journalists, according to RSF. The journalists were reportedly taken to a detention centre in Agip, five kilometres south of the eastern town of Massawa.
According to a source cited by RSF, the arrests come in the wake of recent defections of journalists who held key positions within state-run media. RSF says it is aware of at least six cases of Eritrean journalists defecting since October after fleeing the country or requesting asylum abroad.
The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) considers Eritrea one of the most censored countries in the world. Since September 2001, access to independent information is virtually unattainable, internet access is confined to a privileged few and foreign journalists are strictly controlled by the government.
Visit these links:
- RSF: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=19864
- WAN: http://www.wan-press.org/article12552.html
- Committee to Protect Journalists: http://www.cpj.org/news/2006/africa/eritrea15sept06na.html
- Awate: http://www.awate.com/portal/
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