IBAHRI Honours Dawit Isaak With Justice Wall
Ahead of World Press Freedom Day on 3 May 2025, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) is co-sponsoring a public demonstration in London to shine a spotlight on the prolonged imprisonment of Dawit Isaak – a Swedish-Eritrean journalist who has been held incommunicado in Eritrea for 24 years without charge, trial or access to a lawyer. The initiative, hosted by Human Rights Solidarity and supported by the IBAHRI, the Edelstam Foundation, the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights (RWCHR) and Eritrea Focus, will be held on Friday 2 May from 1100-1330 outside The Guardian newspaper headquarters at Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9GU.
At the heart of the demonstration stands the ‘Justice Wall’ – a five-metre-long banner honouring 11 imprisoned journalists from around the world. At its centre: Dawit Isaak, the world’s longest continuously detained journalist, detained for his unwavering belief in truth and freedom. Some of the other detained journalists included in the banner are:
During the event, Isaak’s daughter, Bethlehem Isaak, will share a powerful statement calling on the global community to move from silence to action:
‘It has been 24 years since my father last saw freedom. He dared to believe in a democratic Eritrea, one where journalists speak truth to power. For that, he was silenced. There is no evidence he committed a crime. He’s never been charged. Never been tried. We have not heard his voice in decades. But he is not forgotten. His voice lives on in every act of remembrance, every call for justice. Silence is not neutrality. Silence is complicity.’
Born in Asmara, Eritrea, Dawit Isaak fled the brutal Eritrean-Ethiopian conflict in 1985, eventually settling in Sweden. Inspired by Sweden’s democratic values and media freedom, he became a prominent advocate for press freedom, human rights and democratic reform. Isaak returned to Eritrea after its independence in 1993, co-founding Setit , the country’s first independent newspaper, and using his pen to challenge authoritarianism.
Burak Batuhan Karakus, Head of Legal Affairs at Human Rights Solidarity, said: ‘Dawit Isaak’s courage should be written into history books – not buried in a prison file. His story is not isolated. It echoes the injustice faced by many brave truth-tellers across the globe. Journalists like Maria Ponomarenko, jailed in Russia for over 1,100 days for reporting on war crimes, and Katsiaryna Andreyeva, imprisoned in Belarus for more than 1,600 days simply for broadcasting a peaceful protest – these are not just personal tragedies, they are symbols of global press oppression. The same applies to Gui Minhai, a Swedish citizen abducted and imprisoned by China. Both he and Dawit Isaak reflect a shameful pattern of enforced disappearance, denial of due process and disregard for international law. We call on Sweden and the broader international community to show the same principled resolve it has expressed in other high-profile cases, and to relentlessly fight for the freedom of both Dawit Isaak and Gui Minhai.’
In September 2001, during a government crackdown on journalists and reformist politicians – known as the ‘G15 purge’- Dawit Isaak was arrested and hidden from the world, despite not being accused of any crime. Since then, no trial has been held and his whereabouts remain unknown. At the time of writing, Isaak has been in prison for 8,602 days and counting. Three of his colleagues – Seyoum Tsehaye, Temesgen Ghebreyesus and Amanuel Asrat – are also currently arbitrarily detained.
Baroness Helena Kennedy LT KC, IBAHRI Director, stated: ‘Dawit Isaak stood for the protection of human rights through press freedom. His courage in speaking truth to power has resulted in his being targeted, imprisoned without charge and disappeared, all intended to silence him. The world must take a stand whenever a journalist is arbitrarily detained. Their being silenced impacts upon everyone’s right to know. His voice would have provided a necessary view into ongoing crimes committed in Eritrea over the last 24 years. Dawit Isaak is the longest-arbitrarily detained journalist worldwide, and so his case is emblematic of the pervasive problem of rising cases of arbitrary detentions of journalists, attacks on press freedom and the lack of political will of democratic nations globally to stand up for these journalists effectively. This is even so when it concerns a country’s own citizen, as is the case for Dawit Isaak being not only an Eritrean citizen, but a Swedish citizen.’
Baroness Kennedy continued: ‘The IBAHRI implores further action to secure his release and push forward accountability for his detention with no trial for 24 years, and the failure of the Eritrean Government to uphold the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s decision in his case.’
In 2024, Isaak was awarded the Edelstam Prize , recognising his ‘outstanding courage in the defense of human rights.’ As he remains unlawfully detained, the prize was received by his daughter in Stockholm.
The RWCHR is leading a coalition of prominent international human rights organisations, including Eritrea Focus and the IBAHRI, on Dawit Isaak’s behalf. In 2024, the group filed targeted sanctions against Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and other senior Eritrean officials involved in Isaak’s case.
Professor Irwin Cotler, RWCHR Founder and International Chair, together with Judith Abitan, RWCHR Executive Director, stated: ‘Dawit Isaak, whose case is emblematic of the global assault on media freedom, has been subjected to incommunicado detention for nearly 24 years – denied all contact with his family, legal representation, consular access, and any appearance before a competent, independent, and impartial tribunal. Deprived of all forms of human contact, Mr Isaak is, under international law, a victim of enforced disappearance and prolonged arbitrary detention, in clear violation of both Eritrea’s domestic legal framework and its binding international legal obligations.’
They continued: ‘We reaffirm our urgent call on the government of Eritrea to immediately and unconditionally release Mr Isaak and all others arbitrarily detained, and we urge the international community to take all appropriate measures to ensure compliance with international law and to hold the perpetrators accountable. Justice must be served without delay, as it is long overdue, crucial for protecting fundamental rights and essential to upholding the rules-based international order.’
The ‘Justice Wall’ public demonstration is listed on UNESCO’s directory of events happening around the world to mark World Press Freedom Day 2025. A full press release, featuring quotes from all organisations involved in the event, is available to read here .
https://www.ibanet.org/World-Press-Freedom-Day-Initiative-in-London-Dawit-Isaak