09/07/2026
Not everyone puts as much value on freedom of the press and freedom of expression as those of us who do that for a living, but this might be something we might all relate to.
It's even something our journalism students should know about, if we want them to think globally.
I wrote about this campaign last week in Journal-isms.
https://www.journal-isms.com/jemele-hill-cari-champion-vs-stephen-a-smith/ -freedom-group-spotlights-forcibly-disappeared
From the Committee to Protect Journalists:
We are calling for accountability and justice for the Eritrea 16, who
were forcibly disappeared a quarter of a century ago.
The campaign profiles a different member of the Eritrea 16 each day, culminating on September 18, the 25th anniversary of the day that authorities banned the privately owned press. CPJ will honor the Eritrea 16 with its International Press Freedom Award later this year.
# # # # Week Two Social Media Posts # # # # #
Mon 7 Sept
⚖️ Free the 🇪🇷 After the Eritrean government banned the privately owned press in a September 18, 2001, radio announcement, Mattewos Habteab and other journalists wrote to the information ministry demanding clarification. They were arrested.
September marks the 25th anniversary of the arrest of the Eritrea 16, among the longest-detained journalists in the world. They have been arbitrarily imprisoned, without trial or access to their families, for a quarter of a century.
CPJ has been unable to confirm reports that Mattewos died in custody and retains his name in our database to hold the Eritrean government accountable for his fate. His family has a right to know.
Read more: https://cpj.org/awards/the-eritrea-16/
Muthoki Mumo
Africa Program Coordinator
Committee to Protect Journalists
