Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki speaks to Al Jazeera

23/05/08: Yesterday, (22 May) Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki was the guest on the Riz Khan show on Syrian national television Al Jazeera. The president, and his immediate aides, are the chief architects and perpetrators of the crackdown launched on 18 September 2001, when the leading privately-owned media were suddenly closed, their executives and editors were rounded up and thrown in prison, and for several weeks the political police waged a manhunt in the capital of Africa’s youngest country.

Ironically, according to the subjective Eritrean newspaper Shabait, his main message on Al Jazeera was that "people must be masters of their decisions and options so that international peace and security could be ensured, for formal independence and sovereignty is meaningless short of freedom of decision". In complete denial over the ongoing situation of human rights abuses and lack of press freedom in Eritrea, President Isaias Afewerki stated that the country was pursuing development in a spirit of unity and harmony.

Click here to read an article from the by the Ministry of Information controlled newspaper Shabait.

Click here to watch the interview on YouTube.