Nine Years Later, Oct 7, 2001: “The Berlin Manifesto”
Before the G15, there were the G13
“The Berlin Manifesto”
Letter to the President of Eritrea.
“Men are respectable only as they respect” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Mr. President,
Despite these disquieting developments, we remained remarkably silent. The reason for our silence was not due to apathy or lack of interest but rather due to the pervasive phenomenon of self-censorship. This self-censorship was particularly acute during the last two years because we all felt that criticism would give aid and comfort to the enemy who might distort it to suit its purposes. Now it is time to speak and speak plainly. Further silence can only endanger the interest of the country as well as compromise our historic responsibility. We must now say that, in our considered opinion, the government has lagged behind in the development of democratic institutions, including mechanisms for ensuring accountability and transparency. We respectfully submit that this is the most important matter for you to ponder and face squarely in whatever reappraisal of government policy and practice you may be undertaking, as we hope you are.
The conditions in Wi’a concentration/training camp in the past 7- 9 months have worsened more than any other time. Food rations were reduced further to 3 pieces of sorghum bread per person per day without any supplements such as sauce except limited ration of tea. The shortage of food is compounded by the closure of the camp for family visits which used to facilitate the supply of food from families and relatives to the prisoners/trainees. The shortage of food combined with the very poor sanitation conditions, harsh environmental conditions, fatigue resulting from training exercises and almost non-existent health facilities and health care services in the camp has lead to sustained outbreaks of meningitis, typhoid and scabies resulting in alarming mass deaths. 
The Association of Eritrean Journalists in Exile (AEJE) would like show its gratitude to the Swedish PEN for presenting the Tucholsky Award to our compatriot, Mr. Dawit Isaak who has been in Eritrean jail since September 23, 2001. This award is another remarkable addition to the serious of tireless efforts and achievements of Swedish human right groups and NGOs to take up the cause of freedom of expression in Eritrea in general and the case of Dawit Isaak in particular. It can be recalled that last month, Dawit Isaak had been honoured to be a finalist for European Union’s Sakharov Prize. 
