Free Dawit Isaak: Sweden and the EU Must Seize This Moment

Dawit Isaak, a Swedish and European Union citizen, has been unlawfully imprisoned in Eritrea for twenty-four years. His only offense was journalism. For nearly a quarter century, his family has waited; and for too long, Sweden and the EU have treated his freedom as a diplomatic inconvenience rather than the obligation it is.  That should change now.

In a recent Expressen debate piece by Susanne Berger and Caroline Edelstam examining why Sweden and the EU have declined to confront Eritrea directly, Global Liberty Alliance's Jason Poblete argued that the current moment is different. After the Swedish foreign minister's visit to Asmara and her public confirmation that Dawit Isaak is alive, the case has finally drawn real attention.

Attention, however, is not a strategy, as Jason has said in many other similar cases.  What is needed now are specific, verifiable steps: a genuine proof of life; an independent medical examination; and his prompt return home to Sweden.  There is a familiar argument, offered in quiet rooms, that public pressure rarely works and quiet diplomacy is the wiser course. History says otherwise.

Sustained public advocacy helped secure the freedom of Sharansky and Sakharov, of Nelson Mandela, of Nasrin Sotoudeh. Regimes calculate; when the cost of holding a prisoner rises, the calculation changes. Eritrea's grip is not as steady as it once was, and that is precisely why silence is the wrong instinct. Sweden must find a way to bring Dawit Isaak home. No one else will do it for them.

Read the full debate piece in Expressen. Expressen is a well-known Swedish paper; it is one of the country's two big national evening tabloids, the other being Aftonbladet.