Dawit Isaak (born 28 October 1964) is a Swedish-Eritrean playwright, journalist and writer who has been held in prison in Eritrea since 2001 without trial and is considered a traitor by the Eritrean government.^[1] Amnesty International considers him a prisoner of conscience and has called for his immediate and unconditional release.^[2] For years, he was the only Swedish citizen held as a prisoner of conscience^[1] (he is now joined by kidnapped Swedish citizen and publicist Gui Minhai). As of 2023, he is considered to be one of the world's longest continuously detained journalists.^[3]

Isaak came to Sweden in August 1987, where he settled in the west coast city of Gothenburg and became a Swedish citizen on 4 November 1992. When Eritrea gained independence, Isaak returned to his native country, married and had children. He began working as a reporter for the country's first independent newspaper, Setit. Eventually, he became a part-owner of the newspaper.^[1]

On 23 September 2001, Isaak was arrested in his home in Asmara. At the same time, ten other independent journalists and eleven prominent reformist politicians of the so-called G-15 were arrested, ostensibly for demanding democratic reforms in a series of letters to President Isayas Afeworki. The independent press, including the Setit newspaper, had covered the confrontation between the president and the reformers.

In April 2002, CPJ, the Committee to Protect Journalists, reported that Isaak was hospitalized due to torture. The Eritrean government denied that he has been tortured, but did not allow anyone to visit him. Isaak had not been tried before a court. Because he held dual Swedish and Eritrean citizenship, Swedish authorities began working for his release, using "silent diplomacy" according to government sources.^[5]

On 19 November 2005, Isaak was released from jail, and according to official Eritrean sources, he was released only to see a doctor. After only two days of freedom, and while on his way to the hospital, Isaak was imprisoned again. He is believed to be held in Carchele prison in central Asmara.^[6]

Every week, a number of organizations, including Reporters Without Borders and the National Press Club, petition the Eritrean Embassy in Stockholm to free Isaak.^[7]

On 27 March 2009, four of the five largest newspapers in Sweden, Aftonbladet, Expressen, Dagens Nyheter and Svenska Dagbladet, featured a plea for the release of Isaak on their front pages. In addition, the five newspapers will feature joint reports on Isaak's situation, and a joint petition was handed over to the Eritrean Embassy in Stockholm on 4 May.^[8][9] By 4 May, 209,963 people had signed the petition.^[10]

On 26 May 2009, during an interview with the Swedish TV4 (channel 4) the president of Eritrea dismissed the case altogether with the words "We will not have any trial and we will not free him. We know how to handle his kind." and "To me, Sweden is irrelevant. The Swedish government has nothing to do with us."^[11]

The "silent diplomacy" method that the Swedish authorities have employed to work for Isaak's release has been criticized by the Swedish media, and the president of the Swedish branch of Reporters Without Borders, Jesper Bengtsson, issued a statement in April 2010, saying that "[i]t is a disgrace that Dawit remains in prison and it is remarkable that the Swedish government does not try harder to get him released."^[12]

After the release of the Albanian-American pilot James Berisha, the 1st Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Behgjet Pacolli, will start a new mission in Eritrea for the release of Isaak.^[13]

On several occasions, rumors have circulated that Isaak is no longer alive, the most recent of which was on 27 October 2011, his 47th birthday, when Swedish commercial radio channel "Radio 1" claimed that Dawit Isaak could well be dead.^[14][15] In April 2012, rumours of his death once again began circulating when several Eritrean politicians stated that he had died in prison. When a government official from Eritrea was confronted about the rumours during an interview in Sweden, he avoided the question and refused to answer.^{[citation needed]}

On September 23, 2024, Dawit Isaak marked 23 years in imprisonment. Several demonstrations and campaigns highlighted his situation during the autumn of 2024, including a commemoration of his 60th birthday on October 27. This event, held in Stockholm at the House of Authors, featured representatives from media, organisations such as Swedish PEN, Free Dawit, and Reporters Without Borders, as well as members of Dawit Isaak’s family. ^{[16] [17] [18]}

During the autumn of 2024, various efforts were made to bring attention back to Isaak’s case. A motion (Motion 2024/25:2181) titled "Release of Dawit Isaak and Defence of Freedom of Speech" was submitted by Helén Pettersson (S) and Fredrik Lundh Sammeli (S). ^[19]

In the Government Statement on September 10, 2024, titled "For a Richer and Safer Sweden," Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson mentioned Dawit Isaak. ^[20]

On September 18, 2024, Reporters Without Borders (RSF Sweden) filed a complaint with the Swedish Prosecution Authority, accusing eight senior Eritrean officials, including President Isaias Afwerki, of crimes against humanity, torture, and enforced disappearance in the case of journalist Dawit Isaak. This marked RSF’s fourth attempt to prompt legal action in Sweden regarding Isaak, who has been imprisoned without charge in Eritrea since 2001. The complaint was supported by Swedish PEN and the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights. ^[21]

On November 19, 2024, the Swedish Prosecution Authority announced it would not launch a preliminary investigation into the allegations of crimes against humanity committed by Eritrean officials in Isaak’s case. This decision coincided with Isaak being awarded the Edelstam Prize 2024 on the same day for his extraordinary courage in defending freedom of expression and human rights. ^[22]

Reporters Without Borders expressed deep disappointment at the decision, emphasising that Isaak, a Swedish-Eritrean journalist, has been imprisoned without trial in Eritrea since 2001. The organisation has submitted multiple complaints over the years, urging Swedish authorities to investigate the Eritrean leadership’s actions in relation to Isaak’s prolonged detention. Despite these efforts, the Prosecution Authority concluded that the lengthy duration of Isaak’s imprisonment did not provide sufficient grounds to justify opening a new investigation. ^[23]

In Canada, a petition regarding Dawit Isaak’s case was submitted to the Canadian Parliament: Petition to the House of Commons – 441-02901 (Foreign Affairs) by MP Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan), Alberta, Canada, on November 27, 2024. ^{[24] [25]}

In the United States, Senator Dick Durbin called for the release of political prisoners worldwide. On December 11, 2024, Durbin opened his Senate floor speech, in the US Senate, by addressing Eritrea and Dawit Isaak’s case. ^[26]

• On 2 March 2007, Isaak was awarded a newly established prize, dedicated to the memory of Anna Politkovskaya and awarded by the Swedish National Press Club.
• In 2009 Isaak was awarded the Kurt-Tucholsky-Prize by the Swedish P.E.N.-Association.
• He was awarded the Norwegian "Ytringsfrihetsprisen", the Freedom of Expression Prize for 2009, at the annual meeting of the Norwegian Authors' Union on 14 March 2010.
• In October 2011 Isaak received the Golden Pen of Freedom Award of the World Association of Newspapers. The award was handed over in Vienna to his brother Esias Isaak.
• In March 2017 he received the 2017 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.^[27]
• In November 2024 Dawit Isaak was awarded The Edelstam Prize for his outstanding contributions and exceptional courage in standing up for freedom of expression, one’s beliefs, and in the defence of Human Rights. ^[28]

• Hope (2010)^[29]

• Karlsson, Johan; Sjöberg, Rickard (2004). Dawit och friheten: om den svenske samvetsfången och Eritreas inställda demokratisering (in Swedish). Stockholm: Silc Publishing House. ISBN 91-974771-7-6.

• Website advocating his release