Global literary community urges Eritrean leader to confirm fate of detained writers
Over 180 authors, including Nobel laureates Olga Tokarczuk and JM Coetzee, signed a letter demanding proof of life for 12 Eritrean writers held since 2001.
More than 180 writers, led by Nobel winners Olga Tokarczuk and JM Coetzee, have endorsed a letter addressed to Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, calling for immediate, verified proof of life for twelve writers arrested in 2001. The detainees include poet Amanuel Asrat and journalist-playwright Dawit Isaak, who have been held incommunicado for 25 years. The appeal, signed by literary figures such as Colm Tóibín, Elif Shafak, Isabel Allende and Ben Okri, condemns the ongoing silence as unlawful and cruel.
PEN International will attempt to hand the letter to the Eritrean embassy in London and has opened a petition urging the international community to press for answers. The organization stresses that Eritrea’s future depends on its intellectuals, not their suppression. The campaign highlights the broader pattern of repression in Eritrea, where no national elections have occurred since independence.
