People free to express opinions, says gov't

International press watchdogs have drawn attention to the deteriorating human rights situation in Eritrea in connection with World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, although the Eritrean government insists that people are free to express their opinions as they wish. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) placed Eritrea on a list of the 10 worst places in the world to be a journalist. It said the country had been Africa's "foremost jailer of journalists since September 2001, when the government banned the entire private press and detained independent reporters". It noted that 18 journalists were now in secret jails. "The ruling party has a firm grip on the state media, whose employees face censorship and also practise self-censorship," it said. "[President Isayas] Afewerki has been unfazed by persistent international denunciation of his human rights record and continues to dismiss foreign critics as enemies of Eritrea." Another group, Article 19, also expressed concern about jailed journalists and politicians in Eritrea. "We are deeply concerned that the whereabouts of these detainees are unknown to their families and lawyers," it said in a letter to South African President Thabo Mbeki, who is the current chairman of the African Union. "We are gravely concerned that these detentions are linked to the peaceful expression of opinion about political matters," the letter added, noting that none of the detainees had been formally charged nor brought before an independent court. Eritrea's acting Information Minister Ali Abdu Ahmed told IRIN however that "no person is placed under arrest because of their political view". He said the arrested journalists were "mercenaries" and their detention had nothing to do with the press law. "This is an issue of national security," he said. "It has nothing to do with politics." Ali Abdu added that the private press had not been closed down, merely suspended, and a committee was looking into press issues. "People are free to write whatever they want, they are free to express their opinions," he said. He denied that those who did express their opinion could face recriminations by the government. "We don't work like that," he told IRIN. He also recalled article 19 of the Eritrean constitution which states that: "Every person shall have the freedom of speech and expression, including freedom of the press and other media." However, the group Article 19 said it deplored that the detainees "have been held in custody beyond a reasonable time and without authorisation by an independent and impartial court". This went against international treaties signed and ratified by Eritrea, it said. It urged President Mbeki to intervene and "to call on the [Eritrean] government to respect the fundamental rights of its citizens".