The Eritrean poet Amanuel Asrat, who was arrested in 2001 and is believed still to be detained in a maximum security prison, has been named International Writer of Courage by Linton Kwesi Johnson.
Johnson won the PEN Pinter prize earlier this year, for his “political ferocity” and “tireless scrutiny of history”. Accepting the prize last night, the Jamaican dub poet named Asrat, a poet, critic and editor-in-chief of the newspaper Zemen, as the International Writer of Courage winner with whom he will share his prize. This award goes to a writer who has been persecuted for speaking out about their beliefs, with previous recipients including the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi and Gomorrah author Roberto Saviano.
“Keeping a citizen incarcerated, incommunicado, without charge or trial for nearly 20 years is the kind of egregious brutality that we associate with totalitarian states and dictatorships,” said Johnson. “As a gesture of solidarity from a poet of the African diaspora, I have chosen the Eritrean poet, songwriter, critic and journalist Amanuel Asrat.”
Asrat’s writing looks at the daily life of the underprivileged, exploring themes of war and peace, and the negative side of conflict. He was arrested on 23 September 2001, along with the editors of all privately owned newspapers, as part of the Eritrean government’s campaign to silence its critics, and has not been heard from since.
According to English PEN, Asrat and his fellow writers are believed to have been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment, including lack of access to medical care, while detained in the purpose-built maximum-security prison Eiraeiro. The free speech organisation, which awards the PEN Pinter prizes in memory of the late Harold Pinter, said that it was unknown whether charges have been brought against them or if they have ever been brought to trial.
“Amanuel [has been] suffering under the harsh conditions of the Eiraeiro dungeon for 19 years and counting. His whereabouts are not known. We don’t even know whether he is alive or dead,” said Asrat’s brother, Daniel Mebrahtu. “We wish Amanuel was aware of this prize and honour somehow. We ask the international community to intervene in his case and other prisoners of conscience in Eritrea, and demand their immediate release.”
English PEN has just launched a year-long letter-writing campaign asking people around the world to send messages of solidarity to writers of courage, with Asrat the first featured writer. “We remain hopeful that this year will finally see him released and reunited with his family after almost two decades apart,” said PEN’s Cat Lucas. “In the meantime, we hope that our PENWrites campaign will provide an opportunity to raise greater awareness of his situation, to amplify calls for his release, and to continue to show our support for him and his family.”
