North of Ethiopia, along the Red Sea lies Eritrea. Since gaining its independence in 1993, the country of 3.8 million has been ruled by a single dictator in a regime marked by widespread repression.
The administration of President Isaias Afwerki, who was never elected, has denied Eritreans their basic rights and freedoms, and committed crimes against humanity. In 2001, President Afwerki closed all of the country’s independent newspapers, and arrested journalists who remain incommunicado to this day. These journalists are today the longest-detained reporters globally.
During this time, telling Eritreans’ stories and informing the population has been almost impossible. Journalists and most dissenting voices have been forced into exile, arrested, jailed and tortured. There is no independent journalism in Eritrea, said Sadibou Marong, head of Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) Sub-Saharan African bureau. “In a nutshell, it’s quite difficult for Eritreans to enjoy press freedom [or] freedom of expression,” he explained…
Full article: https://ijnet.org/en/story/who-telling-eritrea%E2%80%99s-stories
