Newspaper pressure groups express "serious concern"

The World Association of Newspapers and the World Editors Forum have written a letter of protest to Eritrean President Isayas Aferwerki to express their "serious concern at the government's closure of Eritrea's eight private newspapers". The letter was sent in response to the indefinite closure on government orders of the country's free press last week. "We respectfully remind you that the closure of the eight private newspapers is a clear breach of the right to freedom of expression," read the letter, which concluded with a call on Isayas to rescind the closure order, and allow all private newspapers to resume publishing freely. The closure of Eritrea's private press coincided, on the same day, with the arrest of six former ministers and generals who had earlier been dismissed in May after openly criticising Isayas's style of government. Five more reform-minded leaders were arrested the following day, and on Monday nine journalists working for the independent press were also arrested. The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists said on Wednesday that the arrests appeared to be "part of a full-scale effort to suppress political dissent".