Nairobi, January 23, 2015 - Six
Eritrean journalists who worked for the government-controlled station Radio
Bana have been released from jail, according to Eritrean journalists in exile
who spoke to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
The journalists - Basilos
Zemo, Bereket Misguina, Ghirmai Abraham, Meles Nguse, Petros Teferi, and
Yirgalem Fesseha - were among the Radio Bana staff arrested in a February 2009
raid on the station.
"We welcome the long overdue
release of these journalists, who never had a day in court and should never
have been imprisoned in the first place," said CPJ's East Africa
representative, Tom Rhodes. "We call on Eritrean authorities to release
all journalists behind bars and take further steps to ease censorship in one of
the most secretive countries in the world."
The reason for the journalists' release
was not clear. Authorities never disclosed any charges against the Radio Bana
journalists.
Journalists in exile previously told CPJ that the Radio Bana
journalists were accused of either providing technical assistance to opposition
radio stations or of participating in a meeting in which one of the journalists
spoke against the government.
Eight other Radio Bana journalists detained in
the same raid were released in April 2013, sources told CPJ. At least 17
journalists remain imprisoned in Eritrea.
CPJ is an
independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom
worldwide.
Media contacts:
Sue Valentine
Africa Program
Coordinator
Peter Nkanga
West Africa
Representative
Email: pnkanga@cpj.org
Tom Rhodes
East Africa
Representative
Email: trhodes@cpj.org
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