Dawit Isaak: The Journalist the World Forgot – 23 Years in Prison

By Roseleen Nzioka

Nairobi, Kenya: On the eve of World Press Freedom Day 2025, Human Rights Solidarity, a London-based organization, hosted a public demonstration outside The Guardian headquarters in London with one goal: to spotlight the prolonged detention of the world’s longest-serving journalist prisoner. 

The event highlighted one of the gravest injustices in modern media history: the prolonged imprisonment of Mr. Dawit Isaak — a Swedish-Eritrean journalist, playwright, and father who has been held incommunicado in Eritrea for 24 years, without charge, trial, or access to a lawyer. 

According to a press release by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the London initiative was co-sponsored by the Edelstam Foundation, the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights (RWCHR), Eritrea Focus, and the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI).

At the heart of the demonstration stood the “Justice Wall” — a powerful five-meter-long banner honoring 11 imprisoned journalists from around the world. At its center is Dawit Isaak, the world’s longest-imprisoned journalist, detained for his unwavering belief in truth and freedom.

Some of the other imprisoned journalists included in the banner are: 

• Free Reza Valizadeh (Iran) – Jailed for 816 days 
• Free Maria Ponomarenko (Russia) – Jailed for 1106 days 
• Free Pham Doan Trang (Vietnam) – Jailed for 1669 days 
• Free José Rubén Zamora (Guatemala) – Jailed for 1008 days 
• Free Katsiaryna Andreyeva (Belarus) – Jailed for 1629 days

Dawit Isaak was born in Asmara, Eritrea, and fled the brutal Eritrean-Ethiopian conflict in 1985, eventually settling in Sweden. Inspired by Sweden’s democratic values and media freedom, Isaak became a prominent advocate for press freedom, human rights, and democratic reform. 

He became a Swedish citizen in 1992. Following Eritrea’s independence in 1993, Isaak returned to his homeland, where he married, had three children, and co-founded Setit, the country’s first independent newspaper.

In September 2001, during a government crackdown on journalists and reformist politicians, known as the “G15 purge,” Isaak was arrested and hidden from the world. Since then, no trial has been held, and his whereabouts remain unknown. 

He was arrested along with several other journalists who dared to speak out. Almost all were freedom fighters who fought heroically for their country’s independence in gruesome conditions. They include Saleh Idris Sa’ad (Adams newspaper), Said Abdelkadir (Admas), Fesseha Yohannes (Setit), Amanuel Asrat (Zemen), Yousif Mohammed Ali (Tsigenay), Seyoum Tsehaye (TV Eritrea News), Medhanie Haile (Keste Debana), Idris Abu’Are (AHadis), Dawit Habtemichael (Mekalih), Mathewos Habteab (Mekalih), Hamid Mohammed Said, Milkias Mihreteab (Keste Debena), and Sahle Tsefezab (Hadas Eritrea Journal). 

According to various credible human rights groups, these journalists have been languishing incommunicado in undisclosed prisons across the country. Their loved ones have not seen or heard from them since they were incarcerated in September 2001.

Burak Batuhan Karakus, Head of Legal Affairs at Human Rights Solidarity, said: “Mr. Dawit Isaak’s courage should be written into history books — not buried in a prison file. His story is not isolated. It echoes the injustice faced by many brave truth-tellers across the globe. Journalists like Maria Ponomarenko, jailed in Russia for over 1,100 days for reporting on war crimes, and Katsiaryna Andreyeva, imprisoned in Belarus for more than 1,600 days simply for broadcasting a peaceful protest — these are not just personal tragedies, they are symbols of global press oppression.”

Caroline Edelstam, President of the Edelstam Foundation, commented: “Mr. Dawit Isaak is the longest detained journalist in the world. His exceptional courage in standing up for freedom of expression and in the defense of human rights comes with a very high price to pay. He is the world’s longest arbitrarily detained journalist, together with his colleagues, and is being held incommunicado without charge or access to legal counsel for 24 years.” 

Given his prolonged disappearance and the total lack of contact for over two decades, the Edelstam Foundation also emphasizes the urgent need for proof of life of Mr. Isaak and his colleagues — Mr. Seyoum Tsehaye, Mr. Temesgen Ghebreyesus, and Mr. Amanuel Asrat. 

Habte Hagos, Chairman of Eritrea Focus, a think tank and research organization that monitors Mr. Isaak’s case, stated: “Eritrea is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It gained its independence from neighboring Ethiopia in 1993 after 30 years of war.” 

Hagos describes Eritrea as the world’s “most repressive country”. It is against this background that Isaak advocated for justice, which led to his incarceration and subsequent disappearance.

The release quotes the Director of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), Baroness Helena Kennedy, who stated: “Dawit Isaak stood for the protection of human rights through press freedom. His courage in speaking truth to power has resulted in his being targeted, imprisoned without charge, and disappeared, all intended to silence him. The world must take a stand whenever a journalist is arbitrarily detained. Their being silenced impacts upon everyone’s right to know. The IBAHRI implores further action to secure his release and push forward accountability for his detention with no trial for 24 years, and the failure of the Eritrean Government to uphold the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s decision in his case.”

On 26 May 2009, during an interview with Swedish TV4 the President of Eritrea dismissed Isaak’s case saying: “We will not have any trial, and we will not free him. We know how to handle his kind. To me, Sweden is irrelevant. The Swedish government has nothing to do with us”. 

In 2005, Isaak was briefly released for medical treatment but was re-arrested two days later. Since then, he has been held incommunicado, with no official information about his health or whereabouts. Reports suggest he has endured severe prison conditions, including solitary confinement in a shipping container.

Isaak’s prolonged detention has drawn international condemnation from human rights organizations for several years. Amnesty International considers him a prisoner of conscience and has called for his immediate release. Despite efforts by the Swedish government and global human rights groups, Eritrea has refused to provide information or grant access to Isaak.

Isaak’s unwavering commitment to press freedom has been recognized globally. He has received numerous awards, including the Norwegian Freedom of Expression Prize (2009), the Golden Pen of Freedom Award (2011), and the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize (2017).

 Isaak’s case symbolizes the broader struggle for freedom of expression in authoritarian regimes. Advocacy groups continue to campaign for his release, emphasizing the importance of press freedom and human rights.

In the 2025 Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index, Eritrea is ranked 180th, making it the worst-ranking country for press freedom globally. RSF says the Eritrean government has tight control over all media outlets, and independent journalism is effectively banned.

Isaak’s daughter Bethlehem, said: “It has been 24 years since my father last saw freedom. He dared to believe in a democratic Eritrea, one where journalists speak truth to power. For that, he was silenced. There is no evidence he committed a crime. He’s never been charged. Never been tried. We have not heard his voice in decades. But he is not forgotten. His voice lives on in every act of remembrance, every call for justice. Silence is not neutrality. Silence is complicity.”