4/7 Isaak, a Swedish-Eritrean journalist, was detained in Eritrea in September 2001 along with ten other independent journalists and eleven politicians as part of a crackdown on independent media.

3/7 Journalism is not a crime. Silencing truth-tellers through indefinite detention is a violation of fundamental human rights, and the time for Isaak’s freedom is long overdue.”

1/7 "The National Press Club demands the immediate release of journalist Dawit Isaak, who has been unjustly imprisoned for 23 years — without charges, without a trial, and without regard for basic human rights.

1/7 "The National Press Club demands the immediate release of journalist Dawit Isaak, who has been unjustly imprisoned for 23 years — without charges, without a trial, and without regard for basic human rights.

7/7 In addition to his journalism, Isaak is also a playwright and writer whose work has been silenced for more than two decades. The National Press Club stands with press freedom advocates around the world in demanding justice for Dawit Isaak. The time for his release is long overdue.

6/7 Repeated attempts by Swedish diplomats to visit Isaak have been blocked by the Eritrean government. His prolonged detention, with no legal justification or access to due process, is a blatant violation of international human rights standards.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 – The following is a statement from @MikeBalsamo1, president of the National Press Club, on the ongoing detention of journalist Dawit Isaak in Eritrea:

I spoke to former detainees of Eritreas prison system. They described horrendous conditions - crammed into pitch-black underground cells with no room to sleep and guards who subjected them to torture, beatings and other mistreatment.