eritrea: CPJ receives response from U.S. Defense Department
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has received a response from the U.S. Defense Department to a letter sent on February 5, 2003, to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. CPJ had written to Rumsfeld expressing concern about 18 journalists in Eritrea who are currently being held incommunicado, as well as the Eritrean government's decision to ban all private press in the country. In December 2002, Rumsfeld met with Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki while visiting Eritrea to investigate possible sites for a U.S. military base. When asked at a press conference about the country's abysmal press freedom record Rumsfeld noted that Eritrea "is a sovereign nation, and they arrange themselves and deal with their problems in ways that they feel are appropriate to them."
IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
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PRESS RELEASE - ERITREA/UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
10 March 2003
CPJ receives response from U.S. Defense Department
SOURCE: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), New York
**For further information about the Eritrean government's crackdown on
private media, see IFEX alerts of 12 February 2003, 11 December, 20 and 19
September 2002 and others**
(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 7 March 2003 CPJ press release:
ERITREA: CPJ receives response from U.S. Defense Department
New York, March 7, 2003-The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) yesterday
received a response from the U.S. Defense Department to a letter sent on
February 5, 2003, to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. CPJ had written
to Rumsfeld expressing concern about 18 journalists in Eritrea who are
currently being held incommunicado, as well as the Eritrean government's
decision to ban all private press in the country. (Click here for to read
CPJ's letter:
In December 2002, Rumsfeld met with Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki while
visiting Eritrea to investigate possible sites for a U.S. military base.
When asked at a press conference about the country's abysmal press freedom
record Rumsfeld noted that Eritrea "is a sovereign nation, and they arrange
themselves and deal with their problems in ways that they feel are
appropriate to them."
In response to CPJ's letter, Theresa Whelan, acting deputy assistant
secretary of defense for international security affairs, Africa, wrote: "The
Secretary is well aware of the Government of Eritrea's human rights abuses
and discussed their impact on our relationship during his visit. He strongly
pointed out to President Isaias that failure to resolve these issues would
harm our ability to proceed toward regularizing our defense cooperation
regardless of the advantages cooperation offered both sides."
CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization that works to
safeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information about press
conditions in Eritrea, visit www.cpj.org.
For further information, contact Yves Sorokobi (ext. 112), Wacuka Mungai
(ext. 106) or Adam Posluns (ext. 107) at CPJ, 330 Seventh Ave., New York, NY
10001, U.S.A., tel: +1 212 465 1004, fax: +1 212 465 9568, e-mail:
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], Internet:
http://www.cpj.org/
The information contained in this press release is the sole responsibility
of CPJ. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit
CPJ.
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