‘We demand the truth’: Olga Tokarczuk and JM Coetzee lead calls for proof of life of disappeared Eritrean writers
Summary
More than 180 writers, including Nobel Prize winners Olga Tokarczuk and JM Coetzee, have signed a letter asking Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki to prove that 12 writers detained since 2001 are still alive. They emphasize that the Eritrean government has kept the fate of these writers secret for 25 years, which violates international law.Key Facts
- A letter signed by 188 writers calls for proof of life for 12 Eritrean writers arrested in 2001.
- The letter was sent to Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, who leads a dictatorship without elections since 1993.
- The detained writers include poet Amanuel Asrat and journalist Dawit Isaak.
- The writers have been held without communication for 25 years, with no information on their health or whereabouts.
- The letter says this silence is a violation of international law and cruel treatment.
- PEN International, a writers’ organization, will deliver the letter to the Eritrean embassy in London and launched a public petition for proof of life.
- Signatories include well-known authors like Colm Tóibín, Elif Shafak, and Isabel Allende.
- The letter urges Eritrea to build its future using the talents of its people rather than suppressing them.
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