Translation of Debate Article in Dagens Nyheter Debatt: Why Is the Regime in Eritrea Allowed to Violate Human Rights Without Consequences? (17 June 2025)
The article was signed by Caroline Edelstam, President of the Edelstam Foundation. The debate article was published in Swedish, the translation below is an automated translation.
OPINION: Regional challenges and the European Union’s increasing focus on halting irregular African migration have led to a growing reluctance to put pressure on Eritrea for its serious human rights violations. It is time for Sweden and the EU to issue a clear ultimatum to Eritrea: Immediately release Dawit Isaak and all political prisoners, comply withinternational law, or face serious consequences, writes Caroline Edelstam.
“Human rights, including freedom of expression, are a cornerstone of liberal democracy. The government will continue its efforts to secure the release of journalist Dawit Isaak.”
This was Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s latest government statement, made in September 2024, regarding the continued imprisonment of Swedish-Eritrean journalist Dawit Isaak in Eritrea.
Since 2001, five prime ministers and eight Swedish foreign ministers have repeated these exact words like a mantra. What these past and current efforts actually entail, no one truly knows.
Swedish officials state that, in the absence of any clear evidence of Dawit Isaak’s death, they assume he is still alive. If that is truly the case, then Swedish authorities must now demonstrate unwavering focus on securing his release.
However, it is becoming increasingly clear that Sweden’s unwillingness to exert public pressure on the Eritrean regime undermines its own commitment to rescuing Dawit Isaak. “We presume the crime is ongoing,” U.S. State Department officials said late last year. They added that without more detailed information, it is difficult to initiate concrete action against Eritrea’s leadership.
The international community’s complete failure to hold President Isaias Afwerki and his close circle of advisers accountable for gross human rights violations is baffling.
For three decades now, the Eritrean government has faced near-unanimous condemnation from international human rights organizations and the Eritrean diaspora. Yet the regime continues to violate both national and international law without consequence.
Today, President Afwerki appears more firmly in power than ever. One reason is the growing influence of Eritrea’s close allies: Russia and China, along with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia’s recent $1 billion bid for Eritrea’s Assab port signals not only major economic support but also a fundamental political realignment in the Horn of Africa.
A New Strategy Focused on Migration
The new strategy is designed to engage African countries with the highest migration outflows to the EU, to develop projects that address the root causes of migration.
The EU’s recent focus on limiting migration flows brings further challenges, with potentially serious consequences for the official handling of Dawit Isaak’s case. In February this year, Ulf Kristersson announced that Sweden is formally joining the so-called Rome Process, initiated by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in 2023. The new strategy aims to involve African nations that are major sources of migration to the EU, by creating development projects that tackle the problem at its source.
It is difficult to see Swedish authorities making decisive demands or forcefully pursuing legal action to end Dawit Isaak’s ordeal—while simultaneously seeking Eritrea’s cooperation on key political issues.
In May 2024, following the death of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, Sweden initiated the creation of a new European sanctions framework targeting Russia. At the same time, Swedish officials had no plans to introduce similar sanctions against other autocratic countries like Iran, China, or Eritrea.
Direct Involvement
Over the past decade, the Swedish Prosecutor General has repeatedly refused to launch a criminal investigation in Sweden against members of the Eritrean regime directly involved in the ongoing unlawful detention and torture of Dawit Isaak (based on the principle of universal jurisdiction).
Both the United States and the EU have imposed targeted sanctions on individual members of the Eritrean regime for serious crimes committed against civilians in the neighboring Tigray region (Ethiopia). Despite this, other senior leaders—including President Afwerki—have not been held accountable. In fact, Afwerki was able to freely attend a summit in Rome in January 2024 alongside other African leaders, where Italy announced a $6 billion partnership with African countries.
It is time for Sweden and the EU to issue a clear ultimatum to Eritrea: Immediately release Dawit Isaak and all political prisoners, comply with international law, or face serious consequences.
Caroline Edelstam, Co-founder and Chair of the Harald Edelstam Foundation
