More than 180 writers have signed a letter addressed to Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki, demanding proof of life for 12 writers arrested in 2001, according to The Guardian. Nobel laureates Olga Tokarczuk and JM Coetzee are among the signatories, joining prominent writers like Colm Tóibín, Elif Shafak, Isabel Allende, Ben Okri, Yann Martel, Kamila Shamsie, and Tsitsi Dangarembga. The letter was dated 18 September, marking 25 years since a government security operation on the independent press — it notes that within days, Eritrea’s free press and the nation’s independent voices were systematically ended.

12 Writers Held Incommunicado Since 2001

The letter lists 12 writers who have been held incommunicado since 2001, including the poet Amanuel Asrat and playwright and journalist Dawit Isaak. The statement continues, emphasizing that “The families of these writers, the Eritrean people and the global literary community have been met with a painful and unlawful silence.” It adds that withholding all information regarding their health, location, and survival is a violation of international law and an act of cruelty.

Along with Asrat and Isaak, the other writers named in the letter are Dawit Habtemichael, Fessehaye “Joshua” Yohannes, Mattewos Habteab, Medhanie Haile, Sahle “Wedi-ltay” Tsegazeab, Said Abdelkadir, Said Idris “Abu Are”, Seyoum Tsehaye, Temesgen Ghebreyesus, and Yousif Mohammed Ali. Six of the writers were profiled in the Guardian in 2015.

Letter Signed by 188 Writers

The letter, signed by 188 writers in total, calls for “immediate, verified proof of life for all arbitrarily detained Eritrean writers and critics.” Other signatories include Andrei Kurkov, Anthony Doerr, Chloe Aridjis, Lauren Groff, Lemn Sissay, Maaza Mengiste, Madeleine Thien, Margaret Busby, Max Porter, Philippe Sands, Preti Taneja, Tice Cin, and Viv Groskop. The letter adds that “Mr President, Eritrea’s future must be built with its brightest minds, not based on their suppression.”

Eritrea operates as a repressive dictatorship under Afwerki, with no national elections held since independence in 1993; the letter concludes by stating that “We remain in solidarity with our missing colleagues, and we will not cease our efforts until they are free.”

Global Efforts to Demand Truth

Earlier this year, PEN International launched a petition, open to the public, which also calls for proof of life. Burhan Sönmez, president of PEN International, said, “Twenty-five years is an unbearable length of time for any family to live without knowing whether a loved one is alive.” He added, “These writers have not disappeared from our memory. We will continue to speak their names, and we will continue to demand the truth about what happened to them.”