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Government arrests critics, halts private press

    NAIROBI

    The Eritrean government arrested six of its former members turned critics, and ordered the indefinite closure of the country's independent press on Tuesday. An Eritrean official confirmed to IRIN that six former members of the ruling party had been arrested, and said that eight privately run newspapers had been "temporarily suspended". The six arrested were all members of the so-called G-15 group who in May this year openly criticised Eritrean President Isayas Afewerki and were subsequently sacked. Eritrea's independent press has in recent months become a forum for the reform debate, which was sparked by the calls for reform issued by the G-15 group.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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