Isaak, a co-owner of the newspaper Setit, is one of the longest-detained journalists in the world. He was arrested on 23 September 2001 in his home in Asmara after the G15 group criticized the regime, according to research. Born on 27 October 1964 in Asmara, he moved to Sweden in 1985 and later applied for Eritrean citizenship to participate in the independence referendum.
The last confirmed contact with him was in 2005, when it was falsely reported that he was released; he was only taken to hospital and returned to prison. Multiple reports indicate he is held in a cell measuring two by three meters, denied a trial, charges, a lawyer, and contact with the outside world. His situation has been described as kidnapping.
Sweden has invoked the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, but Eritrea has refused to give Swedish consular representatives access to Isaak. It is legally established that Isaak is a Swedish citizen and entitled to Swedish protection. A special review commission evaluated efforts up to 2021 and found significant diplomatic efforts were made without result.
We must fight for press and freedom of expression every day.
Critics argue Sweden has failed Isaak for years, with no government representative able to visit him in prison during these 9,000 days, no sanctions imposed on Eritrea, and no pressure exerted via the European Union. The foreign minister's December 2025 visit, the first by a Swedish government representative since 1993, took place against the background of recent releases of detainees in Eritrea. Stenergard met Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh on 25 September 2025 to demand Isaak's release, and she believes he is alive.
However, she did not meet Isaak in prison, and after more than 20 years, there may be a sign of life from him. International organizations such as the UN Human Rights Council and Reporters Without Borders have repeatedly demanded Isaak's release. UN special rapporteurs have expressed strong concern for his health and stated he is likely held under conditions amounting to torture.
According to a recent report in the Wall Street Journal, the US government is considering granting sanctions relief to Eritrea. Several US citizens are missing and detained in Eritrea. Susanne Berger and Caroline Edelstam have argued that the Swedish government should press for Isaak's release in connection with potential US sanctions relief.
As long as Dawit Isaak is not free, none of us are free.
Isaak's daughters Betlehem and Danait issued a statement after the foreign minister's visit. The Edelstam Prize 2024 was awarded to Dawit Isaak, recognizing his exceptional contributions and civil courage in defense of human rights. The Edelstam Foundation has opened nominations for the 2026 Edelstam Prize, with the ceremony to be held on 3 December at the House of Nobility in Stockholm.
In Sweden, threats to free speech have emerged. In Lilla Edet municipality, local politicians demanded that a library-based author talk with Alexandra Pascalidou and Nadim Ghazale in December 2025 be canceled because she was considered a political opinion maker. Lund municipality's ruling politicians threatened to evict the city's writer-in-residence because they disagreed with some of the writer's opinions on social media.
Tidö leaders Ulf Kristersson, Ebba Busch, and Jimmie Åkesson refuse to be interviewed in Dagens Nyheter by podcast profile Edvin Törnblom. According to Göteborgs-Posten, Kurdo Baksi described the need to fight for press and freedom of expression every day, adding that as long as Dawit Isaak is not free, none of us are free.