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Detained Eritrean journalist admitted to hospital in serious condition

Reporters Without Borders 6 April 2012 Reporters Without Borders has learned that the journalist Yirgalem Fisseha  Mebrahtu, incustody since her arrest in February 2009, was admitted to hospital in the Eritrean capital Asmara earlier this year. The

Reporters Without Borders

6 April 2012

Reporters Without Borders has learned that the journalist Yirgalem Fisseha  Mebrahtu, incustody since her arrest in February 2009, was admitted to hospital in the Eritrean capital Asmara earlier this year. The organization is extremely worried about her state of health and concerned about the conditions under which she is being held.

“While the eyes of the world are on the bloodshed in Syria and the crackdown on the monks in Tibet who protest in dramatic fashion by setting themselves on fire, the fate of Eritrea continues to be greeted with indifference,” the press freedom organization said.

“However, its citizens are ruled by a government every bit as cruel as those in Damascus or Beijing. At least 32 journalists are in prison without charge and without trial, some for more than 10 years.

“The government of President Issaias Afewerki has already permitted the death in detention of at least four journalists. It issues no information on several others and it is not known whether they are still alive.  Today, it is the life of Yirgalem Fisseha Mebrahtu that it is playing with.”

The organization deplored the apathy of the international community, which has accommodated itself to the tragedy in Eritrea since 2001.

According to information reaching Reporters Without Borders, Mebrahtu is in serious condition in Asmara’s Halibet hospital.

She has been admitted to the hospital twice, once last November and again in January this year. She is under permanent guard and is allowed no visitors. Her family and friends have not been told of the nature of her illness but her treatment requires the purchase of medication abroad.

A journalist and poet, she is originally from the southern city of Adi Keyih and was arrested during a raid on Radio Bana on 22 February 2009, during which its entire staff was detained (http://en.rsf.org/eritrea-plea-to-eu-to-suspend-development-06-03-2009,30491.html). She is supported by Reporters Without Borders and is sponsored by the organization’s Spanish section, as is her jailed fellow journalist Dawit Isaac.

In a rare piece of good news, Reporters With out Borders has learned that the journalist Said Abdulhai, arrested in March 2010, was released several months ago.

A veteran of the independence war against Ethiopia and a graduate of Libya’s University of Benghazi in the 1980s, he was one of the media department’s founders after independence. He has at various stages run the information ministry’s press department, the Eritrean news agency and the main pro-government newspaper, published in Tigrinya, English and Arabic. At the time of his arrest he was working for the foreign ministry and is now employed by the education ministry.

Some of her colleagues are still leaving the country to escape the dictatorship and possible arrest. The journalist Senay Gebremedhin, who worked for the Amharic-language service of the state radio station Dimtsi Hafash and the state television station Eri-TV and was employed by the information ministry for 14 years, relocated to neighbouring Ethiopia in January.

Another Eritrean journalist who wishes to remain anonymous for reasons of security and who fled at the same time as Gebremedhin, has contacted Reporters Without Borders to request assistance.

For more information on Eritrea, visit: http://en.rsf.org/eritrea.html

See also the French-language book “Les Erythréens”  (“The Eritreans”) by writer and journalist Léonard Vincent published by the Paris-based publishing house Rivages.

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38 COMMENTS
  • Cambo April 7, 2012

    እዚ ጋዜጠኛታት ብኣልማማ ምእሳር ንመንግስቲ ኤርትራ ብኸመይ የርብሖ? ንኣብነት ነዛ ቀንዲ መዛረቢ ማሕበር “ዶብኣልቦ ጋዜጠኛታት” ኮይና ዘላ ኤርትራዊት ጋዜጠኛን ከያኒትን ይርጋኣለም ፍሰሃ መእሰሪኣ እንታይ እዩ? ኣብ ቤት ፍርዲ ቀሪባ ክሲ ተመስሪትዋ ዶ? እዛ ዜጋ ኣብ ቤት ማእሰርቲ ተዳጒና ሃገርና እንትርፎ ውግዘትን ክዕበትን እንታይ ትኸስብ?
    ስርዓት ህግደፍ ጋዜጠኛታት ደቂ ሃገር ኣሲሩስ እናታይ ረኸበ? ኵነኔ ውግዘት ውርደት … ነዚ ክግዕቱ ዶ ክንድዚ ይርህጹ? ወይ ኣበሳ!

  • Kiflom April 7, 2012

    Woldu and others who have similar pessimistic attitude! I am sorry to hear the problem over problem faced by Yirgalem. But, all Eriterian natives, especially the youth, must not expect any reaction from others. It is the duty and responsibility of the Eriterians to react and show how far Eriterians are determined to get rid of the totalitarian system. Otherwise do not expect the world to fight for you. If you do not do anything tangible that could make the world see and listen you should expect nothing from others. It is your war not the war of the other non-Eriterians. I wish Yirgalem and all the other journalists. I wish

  • aygermenan@yahoo.com April 8, 2012

    I should not surprised anymore by what is happenning in our country. I am going to surprise only when i hear good things happen. You don’t betried by whom you dont trust. You betried by whom you trust. Yirgalem sorry to hear that, but you trust the goverment too much instead of your people. You tried to serve the govermenet 150%. Anyway, i wish you speedy recovery.

  • everlasting_funtime@yahoo.com April 8, 2012

    As our older sister, I have known yirgalem for long time back in eritrea. She was such a great poet and active member of NUEYS in adikeih. It is absolutely disappointing to see her getting arrested and more worse being in serious condition. I pray to my lord jesus christ the master of healing to heal her and give her strength. Our sister, our prayers is with you and we hope we will be able to enjoy your poets in a short time when you get released. stay blessed sister.

  • Zeray April 9, 2012

    PFDJ/ ISSAYAS system: It is a cult. Issays’s love of the country is so much he hates everyone. His followers say they love Eritrea but they hate the people. Their hate and disrespect is demonstrated by the every day atrocities that we see and hear. They love the country so much they are willing to put every Eritrean in jail, punish anyone who gives slight opposing ideas and break every Eritrean spirit who holds his head high. With PFDJites you don’t want to be caught even thinking! You get labeled as a traitor.

    PFDJ is a liability to Eritrea. Their bad far out weights their good (if any). They failed every diplomatic mission with the world and its own neighbors. They love their ideology so much they are willing to by pass the opportunity of gaining billions of dollars from the use of Assab port. With a diplomacy 101 we could be trading with the neighbor Ethiopia and our people would have been much better off.

    Djibuti government is playing much better diplomacy, they even have acquired a contract with Southern Sudan to do their shipping, while Eritrean government is busy chasing its own people to destruction.

    I am mad as hell. Thank you Assenna for letting me vent.

  • M I April 10, 2012

    Wow Wow Wow Wow

    Please visit http://www.alenalki.com with plenty audio-visual. It is amazing.

    On this Occasion I ask Assena to Shut-up its mouth. Thanks to the technology, it shows the atmosphere of an event wherever we are.

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