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Journalists go to prison to highlight plight of jailed colleagues

Two Swedish journalists have volunteered to go to jail as a way of drawing attention to the plight of three colleagues held in Eritrea and Ethiopia. Johan Wirfält and Sara Murillo Cortes plan to be locked

Two Swedish journalists have volunteered to go to jail as a way of drawing attention to the plight of three colleagues held in Eritrea and Ethiopia.

Johan Wirfält and Sara Murillo Cortes plan to be locked up in a Stockholm prison in order to raise awareness about the incarceration of Dawit Isaak, Martin Schibbye and Johan Persso.

They don’t plan to commit any crimes, of course. They will read a statement outlining their support for their jailed colleagues and criticising the Swedish foreign department and minister Carl Bildt for failing to do enough to secure the mens’ release.

They will then request that they be placed in prison – though they don’t know if the authorities will actually do so.

The Swedish-Eritrean journalist Dawit Isaak has been held in an Eritrean prison since 2001 without trial and is considered a traitor by the Eritrean government.

Amnesty International has highlighted his case frequently and has called for his release.

Freelance reporters Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson have been held in an Ethiopian jail since the beginning of July on terrorist charges (as reported here last week by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism).

Wirfält told the Swedish daily, Dagens Nyheter: “This is a new way to draw further attention to the imprisoned Swedish journalists… We want to show our criticism of the foreign ministry… We also want to highlight the vulnerable situation that freelance journalists find themselves in when they go out without having the back-up of an editorial team.”

He added that he and Murillo Cortes are hoping other journalists will join in with their action, claiming that 40 others have already pledged their support.

The pair plan their prison stay some time before 15 October, when the trial of Schibbye and Persson is set to take place in Ethiopia.

Source: The Local

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33 COMMENTS
  • tegadalay October 7, 2011

    some one tell me iam wrong in my comment abaout this jornalists who went to prison in stockholom tell me what you call if some one went to prison by him self with out any charge isee people run from going to prison this idiots want to go so the only explanetion is they are MENTAL SICK IF you have anather explanation tell me

  • tegadalay October 7, 2011

    assena iam disapoited on you you only puy DAWIT ISACK picture in this how abaout the 2 jornalists who are in prison in ethiopia so this jornalist are going to prison not only to DAWIT ISACK they are going in the day when this jornalist in ETHIOPIA are in trail so ASSENA be fair

    • abdi October 7, 2011

      you must be kidding?why would they care about journalists imprisoned in Ethiopia if they don’t benefit nothing out of it?2ndly ayte meles will kick their Ass out of the hotels,he brought those looting addicted oppositions to serve him not to expose his crimes.
      Regard the journalist in Stockholm i’d say”halilu zmetsaka adgis akhbidka tseAno”

      • guest October 7, 2011

        Abadi &Tegadaly,

        While the two Eritreans journalist were caught in Somalia , they ate not there to report as independent journalist but to be used for broadcasting the then presumed victory of Alshabab. But these are victims of PFDJ and they were caught along with the military personnel of the Eritrean armed forces, and both of the journalists are under national service,which they were caught not doing journalism but I really sympathized with their condition as they are victims of the reckless regime which plays in the life if its youth. And it took a while for the regime the capture of theses journalist but deny the other military person as if he is not with them.
        Inspire of their capture while running away from the Somalua, the Ethiopian gov put them under proper handling unlike the PFDJ regime which kept them under inhospitable condition without access to their families while they do not have any misdeed unless become legal journalists who are authorized by ministry of information.
        Hainf said that I appreciate PMZ who promised that the jailed journalist will be free in an interview that he gave recently to Eritrean websites.you guys become a voice for the voiceless nor for the tyrant who brutalized its own 4 million people.

        Free Eritrean journalist who are languishing in a prison for the last ten years in unknown underground.

        • abdi October 7, 2011

          Do i supposed to believe this?you twist every truth to make your agame lords image looks good and fabricated all the lies to accuse eritrean gov’t of inhumanity,
          how sure you are if isack and the other prisoners have committed things against the gov’t or not?
          But the arrests made by your agame lord meles are very lawful and are not against humanity,may be you don’t now shabia closely they don’t arrest unless they check all the angles and collect enough evidence.and one day the truth may come out and know why they were imprisoned.”yom khyber beflus bukra yabga bibalash!”

          stop your lies, stop joining the baseless betrayls who work for eritreans worst enemy in
          history it won’t get you any where.

          • guest October 8, 2011

            If they find an iota of truth about the journalists , they would put it all over the media, but they do not have any.
            One thing u have to know these are journalists who are licensed by the state and they know what to do and not to do.Even though they were find conspiracy against the state , they should be treated according the law.

            Had u been a concerned citizen, you should have care about illegal incarceration of these innocent citizens and just like u they have families,children and spouse.But what u care is about your summer vacation and your villa in Adi.

            Trust me even very strong dictators are becoming history and justice will be served for those who pay the price and u will be paid in full either in this planet or in the next world

  • tegadalay October 7, 2011

    HI NOW we know this website is WEYANES WEBSITE LOOK at the report the jornalists who went to prison in STOCKHOOLOM are saying they are doing this to show support to their jornalists & it says they are going to go to the STOCKHOLOM prison on the day of the trail to start for the 2 jornalists who are areested in ETHIOPIA but ASSENA forget to put the picture of those 2 jornalists who are in ETHIOPIA SO ITHINK AMANUELE EYASU get paid by weyane but thank you ASSENA for puting this report

  • tegadalay October 7, 2011

    THIS IS FOR ASSENA IF YOU CLAIME YOU ARE AN INDEPENDENT WEBSITE & DONT SUPPORT WEYANE CAN YOU PUT THE PICTURE OF THE 2 JORNALISTS MARTIN SEHIBBYE & JOHAN PERSSON WHO ARE IN PRISON IN ETHIOPIA THEN YOU CAN PROVE THAT WHAT YOU SAYING SO CAN YOU PUT THE PICTURE PEOPLE CAN SEE

  • Tsahaye October 7, 2011

    Free the two Eritrean jounalists who have been in woyane’s dungeons for over six years. Dawit Isaac’s life is not better than those two Eritrean journalists the woyane barbarians have been holding them in prison without due process of law. Those who are involved in the business of journalism have the responsibility to spread the news about the plight of the two Eritrean journalists in Ethiopia to every corner of the globe, to every human right activist and government representative. A crime committed on one Eritrean is a crime committed on every Eritrean. It is time the warlords, their supporters and the tragic OOSUB rethink their dealing with the woyane barbarians if they are going to have any credibility. It is an outright oxymoronic to criticise the JPFDJ regime for the disappearing and arresting of people for years while you walk by the prison cell where the two Eritreans have been languishing in Ethiopia for years.

    May God save Eritrea from PFDJ’s dictatorship and woyane’s barbarism.

    • guest October 7, 2011

      Do not you know that they were caught while running away when Alshebab was defeated by Ethiopian forces, I know these are victims of PFDJ, and in addition both are members of the national service , this situation make them terrorist not journalist and even they do nit have permit from the Somalia gov in the first place. I know you guys do not care about the journalists who are incarcerated in Eritrean underground. But Assenna and other Opposition they personally request the PMZ to release the journalists and he promised them they will be released soon.
      Had these same journalists detained by PFDJ,( as a matter if fact there are a number of government journalist who were working for Ministry of information) u would have praised the Gov. and consider them as traitors.

      Now it is too late for thugs of PFDJ to save their party from dying.

  • tegadalay October 7, 2011

    THANKS TSAHEYE IDONT KNOW THERE WHERE ERITREAN JORNALIST IN ETHIOPIA PRISON IWAS TALKING ABAOUT THOSE JORNALISTS ASSENA TRY TO COVER THE 2 SWIDISH JORNALIST BECAUSE ASSENA IS TALIKING ABAOUT DAWIT ISACK THANKS TO THE JORNALISTS WHO ARE PLANING TO GO TO PRISON IN STOCK HOLOM FOR TALKING ABAOUT THE JORNALISTS IN ETHIOPIA SO THANKS AGAIN

    • Tsahaye October 7, 2011

      Tegadalay,

      The crimes the woyane barbarians are not just limited to the occupation of our territory and the deportation of over 80 000 Ethiopians of Eritreans in the most inhumane manner. There are also countless Eritreans in the barbarians’ prison cells. Like any other reporters, no matter what business corporations or regimes they serve for, the two Eritreans were in Somalia with many other international journalists before the woyane regime invaded Somalia. After the invasion, the woyane barbarians had left every other international reporter untouched while arresting the two Eritreans, and to this day, nobody knows whether they are still alive or they were massacred in cold blood.

      • guest October 8, 2011

        If u care about the territory still u have the right to take back the land and the road us open , come and fight if you have the courage but there is no one Eritrean who will die or shade his blood. If u are truly patriotic come and we will give you all the weapon and the armament.

        But I know you are hasawi, tebelasi,Blind Higdef who want to enjoy Asmara and Massawa in the good of innocent Eritrea.The youth is responding silently by abandoning the regime in mass.It is Higdef who keeps thousands of Eritreans in underground prisons, if u care about the journalist in Ethiopia, you should equally concerned for those who are suffering in Eritrea.

        Have a niece journey to Badme

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