Swedish newspapers appeal for reporter jailed in Eritrea

originally published:
24th September 2009

Several rival Swedish newspapers are to join together to publish a joint appeal on behalf of a Swedish-Eritrean journalist held for eight years without trial, the Expressen newspaper said Thursday.

Dawit Isaak was arrested on September 23, 2001 – the arrest coincided with the Eritrean government’s moves to shut down independent newspapers. The article – planned to be published November 19 – will be written by Peter Englund, Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy that awards the coveted Nobel Prize for Literature.

Englund said the assignment was “a great honour” and a “duty for all who care about freedom of speech.”The proposal of a joint publication was floated Wednesday by Expressen’s editor-in-chief Thomas Mattsson on the 8th anniversary of Isaak’s jailing.Several of Sweden’s leading newspapers said they planned to publish the appeal including Expressen’s Stockholm rival Aftonbladet.

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Posted by Alison Leslie on 28/09/2009. Filed under Appeals, Petitions,Questionable Convictions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry