2015 prison census - Eritrea: Tesfay Gomorra
| Publisher | Committee to Protect Journalists |
| Publication Date | 14 December 2015 |
| Cite as | Committee to Protect Journalists, 2015 prison census - Eritrea: Tesfay Gomorra, 14 December 2015, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/56701f8433.html [accessed 22 December 2015] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
| Tesfay Gomorra, Setit | |
|---|---|
| Medium: | |
| Charge: | No Charge |
| Imprisoned: | 2001 |
Tesfay was a contributor to the independent weekly Setit. Local journalists who have gone into exile said authorities arrested Tesfay after a Setit piece published in August 2001 alleged that an interview published by the state-owned newspaper Haddas Ertra, had been faked.
In the article, Tesfay said Yemane Gebreab, the head of political affairs for Eritrea's ruling party, the People's Front for Democracy and Justice, had fabricated an interview with the party's secretary, Alamin Mohamed Said, in which the secretary criticized calls for political reform by an opposition group of veterans of Eritrea's war of independence.
Tesfay, who had close ties to staff at Haddas Erta, claimed in a column that the interview was a fabrication, according to Eritrean journalists in exile, who said they believe the column was the reason behind his arrest. The exact date of the arrest is unknown.
Authorities have not disclosed Tesfay's whereabouts or any charges against him. Tesfay did not appear on CPJ's census of imprisoned journalists before 2014. His case came to the organization's attention only in 2014, as part of a fresh investigation into the status of long-held prisoners in Eritrea.
According to a report by Swedish newspaper Expressen, citing a letter sent by a friend of a purported prison guard, Eyob Habte, Tesfay died from illness in prison. CPJ has been unable to independently confirm the information.
