Media watchdog warns that the free press ‘faces extinction’ in Eritrea

ASMARA, Eritrea, Oct 29, 2004 (AP) — The free and independent press “faces extinction” in Eritrea, where authorities engage in systematic repression and censorship of journalists, an international media group said Friday.

There is no privately owned press in Eritrea, foreign media have been kicked out and local journalists are harassed, detained without trial and subject to intolerable intimidation, said Bertrand Ginet, head of Africa programs for the International Federation of Journalists.

Eritrean authorities must release 13 journalists, including a Swedish citizen, who have been held without trial since September 2001, when the government shut down independent newspapers, Ginet said.

“There is a very direct threat to the existence of the free press,” Ginet said. “The climate of fear has crippled the capacity of freedom of expression to exist.”

“The international community must intervene to stop the rot,” said Aidan White, secretary general of the International Federation of Journalists, which represents more than 500,000 journalists worldwide. “Independent journalism faces extinction in Eritrea, and the outside world must act.”

Repeated attempts to contact Eritrean officials were unsuccessful.

White urged the European Union to press Eritrea to address concern over human rights, free expression and detention of the journalists.

The EU is funding projects in Eritrea worth A?156 million (US$193 million) for the 2002-2007 period. A core part of this agreement is that the Eritrean government must respect human rights in order to receive this assistance, the Brussels-based group said.

“We need some action to hold the Eritrean authorities accountable for their utter failure to respect the full terms of their acceptance of this financial support,” White said.

Eritrea is one of the last countries in the world without an independent, privately owned press. Pressure from the international community, including the European Union, has proven ineffective, said the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders in its 2004 annual report.

Since the country gained independence from Ethiopia in 1991, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki has shelved the country’s constitution, delayed presidential elections, closed down independent media and jailed hundreds of journalists, opponents and other members of civil society.