source: VOA News

published: 21 November 2024

Image Credit: Pexels/Duda

Journalist Betlehem Isaak, the daughter of journalist Dawit Isaak — a dual Eritrean-Swedish citizen imprisoned without trial in Eritrea since 2001— accepted the 2024 Edelstam Prize on her father's behalf Tuesday during a ceremony at the House of Nobility in Stockholm.

The prize honors Dawit for his "outstanding courage" in championing freedom of expression.

The judges noted his commitment to advocating for democracy in Eritrea despite harassment, threats and repeated interrogations.

His punishment, his perpetual unlawful detention, never charged with a crime, defenseless and deprived of his basic rights without a trial, his de facto status of civil death, is untenable," said Caroline Edelstam, chair of the Edelstam Prize jury and co-founder of the Edelstam Foundation.

The loss of her father not only has brought pain but has also taught her resilience, Betlehem said. Speaking to VOA from Gothenburg, Sweden, ahead of the award ceremony, she said continuing her father's legacy is both a painful burden and a source of inspiration.

"Losing a parent as a 7-year-old little girl is, of course, very traumatic," Betlehem said. "But it's also the strength I get from it today, and I really value it, even though I don't wish this on my worst enemies."

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