{"id":249783,"date":"2024-11-12T18:34:29","date_gmt":"2024-11-12T18:34:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2024\/11\/12\/worlds-longest-detained-journalist-wins-rights-prize\/"},"modified":"2024-11-12T18:34:29","modified_gmt":"2024-11-12T18:34:29","slug":"worlds-longest-detained-journalist-wins-rights-prize","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2024\/11\/12\/worlds-longest-detained-journalist-wins-rights-prize\/","title":{"rendered":"World&#8217;s longest detained journalist wins rights prize"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"article-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ghanaweb.com\/imagelib\/pics\/444\/44414019.295.jpg\" alt=\"Dawit Isaak, in prison since 2001, helped start an independent newspaper in Eritrea\" title=\"Dawit Isaak, in prison since 2001, helped start an independent newspaper in Eritrea\" width=\"295\" height=\"146\" \/> <span class=\"image_caption\"><span>Dawit Isaak, in prison since 2001, helped start an independent newspaper in Eritrea<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"-webkit-user-select: none; -webkit-touch-callout: none; -moz-user-select: none; -ms-user-select: none; user-select: none;\">\n<p id=\"article-123\">A journalist detained in Eritrean prison without trial for 23 years has won a Swedish human rights prize for his commitment to freedom of expression.<\/p>\n<p>Dawit Isaak, who holds dual Eritrean-Swedish citizenship, was given the Edelstam Prize &#8220;for his&#8230; exceptional courage&#8221;, the foundation behind the award said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>Dawit, who holds dual Eritrean-Swedish citizenship, was one of the founders of Setit, Eritrea&#8217;s first independent newspaper.<\/p>\n<p>He was detained in 2001 after his paper published letters demanding democratic reforms.<\/p>\n<p>Dawit was among a group of about two dozen individuals, including senior cabinet ministers, members of parliament and independent journalists, arrested in a government purge.<\/p>\n<p>Over the years, the Eritrean government has provided no information on his whereabouts or health, and many who were jailed alongside him are presumed dead.<\/p>\n<p>The Edelstam Prize, awarded for exceptional courage in defending human rights, will be presented on 19 November in Stockholm.<\/p>\n<p>Dawit&#8217;s daughter, Betlehem Isaak, will accept the prize on his behalf as he remains imprisoned in Eritrea.<\/p>\n<p>His work with the Setit included criticism of the government and calls for democratic reform and free expression, actions that led to his arrest in a crackdown on dissent.<\/p>\n<p>The Edelstam Foundation has called for Dawit&#8217;s release, urging the Eritrean authorities to disclose his location and allow him legal representation.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Dawit Isaak is the longest detained journalist in the world. We are very concerned about his health and his whereabouts are unknown, he is not charged with a crime, and he has been denied access to his family, consular assistance, and the right to legal counsel \u2013 effectively, it is an enforced disappearance,&#8221; said Caroline Edelstam, the chair of the Edelstam Prize jury.<\/p>\n<p>His &#8220;indefatigable courage stands as a testament to the principle of freedom of expression.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Edelstam Foundation also urged the international community to pressure Eritrea for Dawit&#8217;s release and to advocate for human rights reforms.<\/p>\n<p>The Edelstam Prize honours individuals who show exceptional bravery in defending human rights, in memory of Swedish diplomat Harald Edelstam.<\/p>\n<p>Eritrea is the only African country without privately owned media, having shut down its private press in 2001 under the pretext of &#8220;national security&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Dawit, who fled to Sweden in 1987 during Eritrea\u2019s war for independence, returned after the country gained independence in 1993 after becoming a Swedish citizen.<\/p>\n<p>There have been no elections in Eritrea since its independence, and President Isaias Afwerki has held power for nearly 31 years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dawit Isaak, in prison since 2001, helped start an independent newspaper in Eritrea A journalist detained in Eritrean prison without trial for 23 years has won a Swedish human rights prize for his commitment to freedom of expression. Dawit Isaak, who holds dual Eritrean-Swedish citizenship, was given the Edelstam Prize &#8220;for his&#8230; exceptional courage&#8221;, the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":249784,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-249783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-africa"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>World&#039;s longest detained journalist wins rights prize - Ghanamma.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2024\/11\/12\/worlds-longest-detained-journalist-wins-rights-prize\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"World&#039;s longest detained journalist wins rights prize - Ghanamma.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Dawit Isaak, in prison since 2001, helped start an independent newspaper in Eritrea A journalist detained in Eritrean prison without trial for 23 years has won a Swedish human rights prize for his commitment to freedom of expression. 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