By August 6, 2026
PEN Eritrea warmly welcomes the announcement by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) honoring the Eritrea 16 with its 2026 International Press Freedom Award, recognizing the extraordinary courage and sacrifice of Eritrea’s imprisoned journalists who have endured decades of detention without charge or trial.
The award comes as the world marks the 25th anniversary of the September 18, 2001 crackdown that extinguished Eritrea’s independent press and ushered in one of the world’s longest-running assaults on press freedom.
On the morning of September 18, 2001, Eritrean state radio announced the government’s decision to close all privately owned newspapers. The action, remembered as Black Tuesday, was followed by a wave of arrests targeting independent journalists and reform-minded political leaders. Within months, many of the country’s leading editors, reporters, photographers, and writers had disappeared into secret detention.
A quarter century later, the fate of many of these journalists remains unknown. They have never been afforded due process, public trials, or regular contact with their families. Only occasional and unverified reports have emerged regarding their whereabouts or health.
The CPJ award recognizes sixteen journalists whose lives and work symbolize both the promise of Eritrea’s early post-independence press and the devastating consequences of its destruction. They include:
- Amanuel Asrat, poet and editor-in-chief of Zemen newspaper.
- Dawit Habtemichael, editor of Meqaleh newspaper.
- Dawit Isaak, Eritrean-Swedish journalist and co-founder of Setit newspaper.
- Ghebrehiwet Keleta, reporter for Tsigenay newspaper and widely recognized as the world’s longest-detained journalist.
- Hamid Mohamed Said, editor of the Arabic-language service of Eritrean state broadcasting.
- Idris Said (Abba Arre), columnist and former civil servant.
- Jimi’ie Kimeil, sports journalist.
- Mattewos Habteab, founder of Meqaleh newspaper.
- Medhanie Haile, editor of Keste Debana newspaper.
- Said Abdelkader, editor of Admas newspaper.
- Saleh Aljazeeri, journalist with state media.
- Sahle Tsegazeab (Wedi Itay), columnist and writer.
- Seyoum Tsehaye, pioneering photojournalist and founding director of Eritrean state television.
- Temesgen Ghebreyesus, sports editor at Keste Debena newspaper.
- Tesfay Ghebreab (Gomora), freelance contributor to Setit newspaper.
- Yusuf Mohamed Ali, editor-in-chief of Tsigenay newspaper.
Many of these journalists played an instrumental role in building Eritrea’s independent media following the country’s hard-won independence in 1993. Several were veterans of the liberation struggle who believed that a free press would be essential to building a democratic nation grounded in accountability, justice, and the rule of law.
Instead, the 2001 crackdown silenced every independent newspaper in the country and forced countless journalists into exile. Since then, Eritrea has remained one of the world’s most restrictive environments for journalists, where all domestic media are state-controlled and independent reporting is effectively prohibited.
For families, colleagues, and advocates who have spent twenty-five years demanding answers, the CPJ award serves as an important reminder that the Eritrea 16 have not been forgotten. Their continued imprisonment remains one of the gravest and longest-running press freedom violations in modern history.
PEN Eritrea joins the international community in congratulating the Eritrea 16 on this distinguished recognition. While no award can compensate for the decades they have lost, international acknowledgment of their courage helps preserve their legacy and renews global attention to their continued detention.
As the twenty-fifth anniversary of September 18 approaches, PEN Eritrea reiterates its call for the immediate and unconditional release of all imprisoned Eritrean journalists and writers, and urges the Eritrean government to uphold its obligations under international human rights law by respecting freedom of expression, ending arbitrary detention, and allowing independent journalism to flourish once again.
Their voices were silenced, but their legacy endures.
