Journalist Betlehem Isaak, the daughter of journalist Dawit Isaak — a dual Eritrean-Swedish citizen imprisoned without trial in Eritrea since 2001— accepted the 2024 Edelstam Prize on her father’s behalf Tuesday during a ceremony at the House of Nobility in Stockholm.
The prize honors Dawit for his “outstanding courage” in championing freedom of expression. The judges noted his commitment to advocating for democracy in Eritrea despite harassment, threats and repeated interrogations.
“His punishment, his perpetual unlawful detention, never charged with a crime, defenseless and deprived of his basic rights without a trial, his de facto status of civil death, is untenable,” said Caroline Edelstam, chair of the Edelstam Prize jury and co-founder of the Edelstam Foundation.
The loss of her father not only has brought pain but has also taught her resilience, Betlehem said. Speaking to VOA from Gothenburg, Sweden, ahead of the award ceremony, she said continuing her father’s legacy is both a painful burden and a source of inspiration.
“Losing a parent as a 7-year-old little girl is, of course, very traumatic,” Betlehem said. “But it’s also the strength I get from it today, and I really value it, even though I don’t wish this on my worst enemies.”
Arrested during 2001 crackdown
Dawit was arrested during a government crackdown on independent media in Eritrea in September 2001.
Eritrea ranks among the most tightly controlled countries in the world. A country with no independent media, Eritrea subjects all citizens to indefinite national service and has never held national elections. Twenty-one journalists and politicians from the 2001 roundup remain in detention, according to Amnesty International.
Betlehem said although her father’s disappearance left a void in the family, she chose to follow in his footsteps and advocate for justice and freedom of expression.
“Freedom, in general, is actually something that we have to fight for almost every day,” she said.
This personal battle has informed Betlehem’s perspective as a journalist. In her work, she highlights the stories of those who face oppression.
She said that her father’s plight should not be taken “for granted, especially when it comes to freedom.”
‘I continue the work’
In more than 23 years, Dawit’s imprisonment has prompted international campaigns and requests from the Swedish government for his release.
“My father is actually a symbol,” Betlehem said, adding that his story and “his colleagues with him” are “a symbol of what’s really happening and has happened in Eritrea for the last 25 years.”
For her, continuing his legacy is both a privilege and a responsibility. Though she was just a little girl when he was taken away, she follows his principles.
“I continue the work that my father and his colleagues started,” she said. The Eritrean government “will never silence their voice, because I am my father’s voice, and I am also the voice of every Eritrean.”
Several attempts by VOA to reach out to the government on Dawit’s status went unanswered.
Daughter calls for father’s release
Betlehem’s advocacy extends beyond journalism. She frequently engages in campaigns calling for her father’s release and raises awareness about press freedom.
Despite challenges, Betlehem remains hopeful. Without going into details, she said, she has proof of life to keep her going.
“We know that my father is alive, and we know that that’s the truth,” she said. “We have sources that say that, and we believe those sources.”
Freedom isn’t just about writing or speaking as a journalist where there’s censorship, she said.
“You cannot even exist as a free human being,” she said. “You cannot even think.”
This story originated in VOA’s Africa Division.
