Former political prisoner Yirgalem Fisseha calls for proof of life and justice for the Eritrea 16
Nairobi, November 10, 2026—Twenty-five years after Eritrea’s crackdown on independent journalism and the journalists’ arrests that followed, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reiterated its call for Eritrean authorities to disclose the fate and whereabouts of the Eritrea 16, a group of some of the world’s longest-detained journalists.
At a public tribute held in Kenya for the disappeared journalists, CPJ demanded Eritrea provide proof of life and immediately release those still detained.
“For a quarter of a century, families have been denied answers about their loved ones. The Eritrea 16 deserve recognition for their journalism, not for their decades of disappearance,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg.
In August, CPJ announced it would honor the Eritrea 16 with its 2026 International Press Freedom Award, recognizing their courage and sacrifice. They are Amanuel Asrat, Dawit Habtemichael, Dawit Isaak, Ghebrehiwet Keleta, Hamid Mohamed Said, Idris Said, Jimi’ie Kimeil, Mattewos Habteab, Medhanie Haile, Said Abdelkader, Saleh Aljazeeri, Sahle Tsegazeab, Seyoum Tsehaye, Temesgen Ghebreyesus, Tesfay Ghebreab, and Yusuf Mohamed Ali.
“The award honors their courage, but it cannot replace truth, freedom, or justice,” Ginsberg said. “Their case is a warning to the world: when journalists can be silenced with impunity, press freedom everywhere is at risk.”
Giving the Carlos Cardoso Memorial Lecture in Nairobi on Tuesday, Eritrean journalist and former political prisoner Yirgalem Fisseha paid tribute to her disappeared mentor, Amanuel Asrat, and called for answers about his fate and that of his fellow Eritrea 16 journalists, whose families have waited a quarter of a century for news of their loved ones. The lecture was delivered at the African Investigative Journalism Conference (AIJC).
Yirgalem read from a letter she wrote to Amanuel, a newspaper editor detained in 2001 along with the other journalists, whose fate remains unknown.
“You would have received awards for your writings in person, rather than for your sufferings in absence,” said Yirgalem, who survived six years of imprisonment and torture before fleeing Eritrea.
She asked journalists to imagine the isolation endured by those detained for decades. “Imagine asking yourself, every single day: ‘Does anyone still remember me?’”
Echoing CPJ’s call for the Eritrean government to provide proof of life, Yirgalem urged conference participants to “use your voices and your professional platforms” to amplify that demand and call for the journalists’ immediate release. “Let’s make sure they are not forgotten,” she added.
The memorial also featured a video with the journalists’ families and CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Muthoki Mumo, readings from the journalists’ writings, and a conversation between Ginsberg and Yirgalem.
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About the Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide. We defend the right of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal.
Media contact: Angela Quintal, aquintal@cpj.org, +1 (917) 514-2965 or press@cpj.org
This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.