Dawit has been held in prison for over two decades without being charged or brought to trial by the Eritrean government. He is a playwright, writer, and co-owner of Setit, an independent newspaper published from 1997 until its forcible closure in 2001. Recognized as one of the longest-detained journalists, Dawit Isaak has been held incommunicado without trial since 2001. 

Case History

Dawit Isaak was arrested on September 23, 2001, during a crackdown on independent press throughout Eritrea. He was held incommunicado by the government, and in 2012 he was hospitalized for torture suffered during imprisonment. Dawit has dual Eritrean and Swedish citizenship and has garnered attention in Sweden concerning his plight. Dawit has not been tried or charged with a single crime, though in August 2010, a senior Eritrean government adviser, Yemane Gebreab, stated that Dawit was in jail for “very serious crimes regarding Eritrea’s national security and survival as an independent state.”

There were multiple rumors that he had been killed while in custody, with the most recent rumor circulating in October 2011. In April 2012, when a government official was asked about the rumors in an interview in Sweden, he avoided the questions. In 2016, the Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh announced that Dawit was still alive. Eritrea has continued to be secretive about the conditions of Dawit’s detainment and has not disclosed any details. Speaking on a public radio program on July 6, 2020, Bethlehem Isaak, eldest daughter of Isaak, said that her father was still alive. She, however, explained that she was “not allowed to say more,” due to the “silent diplomacy” surrounding her father’s case.

Three journalists, Dawit Habtemichael, Mattewos Habteab, and Wedi Itay, who were taken into custody concurrently with Dawit Isaak during the crackdown in 2001, have since died in custody at Eiraeiro prison camp. Reports indicate that Dawit Isaak is imprisoned in horrible conditions, which include torture that is widespread in Eritrean jails, and suffers from poor health and denied medical care. Dawit is an honorary member of Finnish PEN and Swedish PEN and was awarded the  UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize in 2017. The Eritrean government has closed all independent press and media since 2001, and Eritrea has remained at the bottom of the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index for the past seven years.  

Case UPDATES

August 18, 2021: The OHCHR releases a statement demanding the release of Dawit Isaak, citing information from a “credible source” that Isaak was alive in prison as of September 2020.

January 12, 2021: The Swedish public prosecutor’s office National Unit for International and Organised Crimes states that it has reason to believe Isaak is the victim of a crime against humanity, which would fall under Sweden’s universal jurisdiction. However, it refuses to open an investigation citing difficulties to carrying it out without cooperation with Eritrean authorities. Three months later, in April 2021, RSF formally asks the Swedish general prosecutor’s office to reverse their decision not to open investigations into Isaak’s case.

October 21, 2020: RSF files a complaint with the office of the Swedish prosecutor against lead authorities in Eritrea responsible for Isaak’s detention including the President. 

October 8, 2020: EU Parliament releases statement, demanding the release of Isaak. 

September 15, 2020: A library named after Isaak is inaugurated in Sweden. 

July 6, 2020: Speaking on a public radio program, Bethlehem Isaak, eldest daughter of Isaak, says that her father is still alive. She states that she is “not allowed to say more,” due to the “silent diplomacy” surrounding her father’s case.

May 10, 2013: A former prison officer confirms that Isaak is alive.

May 26, 2009: Eritrean President Afwerki stated in an interview that “We know how to handle [Isaak’s] kind,” and that the journalist would not be released or stand trial.

November 19, 2005: Isaak is briefly released to receive medical treatment, and then taken back to prison two days later. This is the last time his sister speaks to him.

2001: Isaac was illegally arrested and imprisoned without trial, and has been incommunicado since. As a dual citizen of Eritrea and Sweden, Isaak has been the subject of extensive campaigns in Sweden to raise awareness about his imprisonment, and to put pressure on Eritrea to release him through “silent diplomacy,” albeit to no avail. There is no new information regarding his case. It is speculated that he is held at the Eiraeiro Detention Center where “sun-heated containers are used as cells.”