Dawit Isaak ‘may be dead’
Swedish-Eritrean journalist Dawit Isaak, who has been imprisoned in Eritrea since 2001, has been moved from prison and may be dead, according to Swedish journalist Lars Adaktusson. Speaking on his radio programme Radio 1, Adaktusson cited
Swedish-Eritrean journalist Dawit Isaak, who has been imprisoned in Eritrea since 2001, has been moved from prison and may be dead, according to Swedish journalist Lars Adaktusson.
Speaking on his radio programme Radio 1, Adaktusson cited credible sources from Eritrea’s opposition movement as indicating that Isaak is no longer in the Eira Eiro prison because he is dead.
However, the information hasn’t been officially confirmed.
“We have no information to confirm either that he has been moved or that he is dead,” Anna Backlund at the Swedish foreign ministry’s informaion department told The Local.
The foreign ministry will now make a thorough investigation whether there is any information from within the ministry organisation indicating that there is any basis to the rumours about Isaak’s death.
Mehari Abraham, an Eritrean-exile commentator and journalist at TV-Zete in Stockholm is one who believes that Isaak is no longer alive.
“It’s very credible information but it’s extremely hard to get it confirmed,” he told the TT news agency.
While the information hasn’t been officially confirmed, the sources claiming that Isaak is no long in the prison have been right about ten previous deaths.
However, Leif Öbrink, chair of the Free Dawit Isaak campaign, was highly critical of the spreading of the information about Isaak’s supposed death, calling it “speculation”.
“This has been circulating for several weeks, this information. No one believes it. I think it’s totally wrong to go out with it,” he told TT, questioning the motives of Adaktusson and Abraham.
“What does he want? To discredit the regime? One has to bear such things in mind,” Öbrink said of Abraham.
“This is sensationalism from Adaktusson’s side.”
Isaak’s daughter Bethlehem also cast doubt on reports that her father was dead.
“We don’t believe this information,” she told the Expressen newspaper.
Arhe Hamednace, a Social Democrat MP of Eritrean decent, is concerned the reports may be accurate.
He explained on the radio programme that he received reports about Isaak about two months ago.
“There were some people who called me. One high-placed person that works in an organistation with international contacts called me and said that ‘we have information, we’ve heard that Dawit is no longer alive’,” said Hamednaca.
He later contacted sources in his own network in Eritrea but failed to get the information confirmed.
“But we know how this regime acts. No one who is a high-ranking politician or government critic has come out alove from this prison,” he said on Adaktusson’s programme.
Thomas Mattsson, editor of the Expressen newspaper, which has been at the centre of the movement to draw attention to Isaak’s case and win his freedom, said the report that the imprisoned journalist may be dead was “terrible news”.
“Terrible if it’s true. Nearly as terrible if it’s not true – Dawit Isaak has a wife and three children and it’s with them that our thoughts go now. I really hope this is a misunderstanding, a mistake.”
Source: The Local
Barentu October 28, 2011
This is very sad. Eritrea’s brand as a nation and Eritreans’ image or culture as people in front of the world will be for a long time tarnished. This will cost “Eritreaness” a lot. There will be heavy price to pay for locking up innocent journalists and to let them die a slow and a horrible death.
After ten years in Eritrean jails, no sane person expects Dawit Isaak or other journalists and political prisoners to be set free alive. Eritreans and the whole world should not expect to see many of these high profile prisoners alive again but we will never forget them because those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.
We will never forget Sherifo, Drue, Aster, Nati, Kekia, Miriam, Tesfai Gomora, Joshua, Dawit, Kidane wedi Keshi, Petros … and all the rest.
Yonathan Sebhatu October 28, 2011
Very sad news but Why are we always new for this tyrann regime, by the way the appearence of his daughter in Swedish Tv was ochestreted by the embassy after paranoing the family, this news is just the afterpath of that teather.Who was out after jailed by PFDJ let alone journalists his own close comrades Derue,Sherifo……. If you are jailed you are dead, period!! The one thing we must learn from this is the western “silent diplomatic” do not work, we eritreans have and had an extreme unhuman regime and this gives us to fight him by all means even by attacking his own supporters and his defence force. His unhuman action invites us to make our strategy and strenght of fight more harder. Let us learn from the situation and go further!!!
My condelecens to his family and his brother Isayas!!!
tesfe October 28, 2011
bwegeney bhiwet ms sdrabetu kirakeb tesfa ygebr,gn 99%kab shabiya srkeb tesfa aykonen.
kab kulu zehzeneni gn sdrabetu mesarhi shabiya koynom sleztetalelu bad history nay dawit issak
kikewn yikiel yu.
Shawel October 28, 2011
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an independent, permanent court that tries persons accused of the most serious crimes of international concern, crimes against humanity.
I think the Swedish and the European union should push and bring the case to the ICC, to investigate and prosecute Isaias Afeworki for crimes against humanity. other wise this guy is becoming a monster he will destroy the hole nation with out regards human life or humanity.
ahmed Saleh October 28, 2011
It disturb me and sometimes it boils my anger which I try to control, to see my people expose to this unhuman
and cruel treatment in the hands of their own. I hope and pray the news of the death of those prisoners one
by one is not true. It may sound unrealistic but since we are helpless and frustrated sometimes you dream for
the better. These people are condomned by IA from the first day they had imprisoned . It is unfortunate and
sad to hear IA responding to foreign reporters about our political prisoners by saying I don’t know what are
you talking about, I don’t have idea, and to others said this issues about these prisoners can be considered
is forgotten. That shows how cruel and disrespectfull person he is to say in front all of us. Don’t forget 99%
of those are jailed on those more than 40 prisons are not criminals. We know our people they never had
criminal mentality, I believe one day GOD will save them on his own way. peace and love to you all.
tesfai October 28, 2011
Dawit mesarhi hasusat kkewn yeblun alokaa
kalighe October 28, 2011
In Eritrea there is a genocide in the making. Tens of thousands are either kept in un known prisons or missing for more than a decade.
Prisoners taken in early nineties are all missing, there is nothing to believe they are still alive. The Eritrean regime should be forced to allow international investigation to be conducted to find out what happened to Dawit and tens of thousands like him.
It seems already too late to save Dawit’s life, if the rumors are confirmed. Although it’s difficult to know who is the source of these sad news, sometimes it’s the fascist regime that circulates rumors on sensitive issues to discredit the opposition media. The Swedish government should act as soon as possible to get a UNSC resolution to send a fact finding mission to Eritrea.
haben October 28, 2011
asena liaiers dawit is not dead , isayas issak why you play for your interest you and your foster family campain. you gave him death name. because the family dawit and his childeren when they know you never have a job you was making money behind dawits name just you invate your imgination with sweden foster family . but you know you have deal with those tv zet the laier guy big mouth , and assenna after the family dawit the they investigate thje put your biggest shame name in meskerem, you gave your answer by the name dawit is may be dead we going to each another soon. somalia face ass hall.
sol October 28, 2011
Haben ,,
U are very low, it is not only about death and life, think about yourself for three days in small cell,no phone, TV, no one talking to you but Dawit and others passed that for the last ten years.(3650 days) in a very small and dark room.If you care about Dawit and his family,let the regime let him go even for one day, that would be a blessing but we know you care about your property but trust me Issias is gone follow his buddy Ghadafi, and u will lick your wound.
haben October 28, 2011
sol falks your dirty poletics and cheap prpoganda, and users of govenment ethiopia.agame meles servant what ever you write what ever you lie were ever you blame eritrean gov and people of eritrea no body. trust you guys. as i said dog always go back to eat his vomit. so for interest and interst of issays isaak, and big mouth country village men he never change his trush topic tv zete. we are wacthing you guys. specialy issayas issays isaak trust me you are going to pay your price slave of money. and go lik swedeshe women by the name of dawit isaak. dirty……….
guest October 28, 2011
Haben i do not deny you are nationalistic and i know you care about the nation but you kind of naive, and you do not know what is going on in Eritrea. If the youth(the national service) flocking to Woyane, Eritrea is gone be weak everyday, if you end up in jail for nothing like these innocent journalists, and if they have crime or mistake let them have their day in court. The people with Dawit are not woyanes, they are hero who fought and defend Eritrea. They Generals, intelligence officers, ministers, soliders who have given up all there life for Eritrea. If these are suffering , who is gone believe the regime, no one trust me, if some one attack Eritrea even Sudan every body is gone save himself.
If you talk about Agame, i do not care about the root of one person as long as he works for the Eritrean cause for that purpose i believe Issias, yemane, Kisha are Eritreans but if you go to label others , they are pure agames, who hail from the region of Tembien. Even Issias does not like if you say Agame because all the powerful people around Issias are from Tigray but the vice versa are true Meles is also surrounded by Eritreans like Berket simon, Samura yunis, yemane jamica, tedrose, ————, but they also think themselves like Tigryans not Eritreans.
That is the reason the cause of Eritrea and Ethiopia is so complicated and should be solved peacefully by bringing the two people together and eradicate poverty.
haben October 28, 2011
gues!!!!! why when ever agame kedame,, were ever calling the real name of etiopian goventment , their etnic . you jump to eritrean gov, you try to explaine that they are from agame. they are not which you discribe, those lions of eritrean who fight for eritrean freedoom, until the end. meles ? tell me at least because of there is eritrean identity. why meles and his fellowers they trying to give as about economic to starve eritrean every moring he suing in UN? so your stupid imagenation. drink it. olso why you afraid to reavil your namees when you write you afraid from your sadow. and go do not disterve us go eat you wellfair and internet tegadalay NEZZA AWECE DEREGET. but issayas issak be wacth your it never fore give you were ever you go the one you jock about dawit isaak you never get rid of it.
guest October 29, 2011
Dear Haben;
you are too smart to understand what I say. In addition it is very hard to understand your writing because you use Shabait English, Tserfe. I do not blame you either i know which school you are going -PFDJ school of deception and misinformation.Mes adgi dewale — temharo mes.
Eritrean does not mean Issias.Eritrea means the people, culture, tolerance, hospitality, the land , the air and the sea but for you it is ISSIAS – IS COUNTRY, GOVERNMENT, POPE, PEOPLE. We see Eritrea beyond one person, to prosper , grow. we have a lot of smart people who can lead us if we have the constitution and rule of law.