Eritrea has replaced North Korea as the last place country on RWB's index

Eritrea has replaced North Korea as the last place country on RWB's index of press freedom situations in 169 countries. There, in late September 2001, authoritarian President Issaias Afeworki shut down all privately owned media and prohibited publishing by any non-governmental media in the country. The country is now a black hole for journalism, with four journalists dead thus far out of the 13 incarcerated. Guest speaker Milkias Mihreteab explained his experiences as a journalist in Eritrea, saying, “The government wants to put so much fear into your soul, even miles away from the torture chambers.” As a political refugee in the United States, Milkias admitted, “My heart is still in the land of Eritirea.” He stressed that the international community must work together toward press freedom, saying, “No nation is an island. We are in this together. One silenced voice is one too many.” Reporters Without Borders is calling upon the European Union and the United States to declare Eritrean leaders persona non grata.

source:25 February
Press Conference: Freedom of the Press Worldwide
Press Conference

Freedom of the Press Worldwide Reporters Without Borders released on Feb. 13 its 2008 annual reportPress conference in Washington D.C. highlighted the situation of press freedom in China, Pakistan, Eritrea, Iraq and the US.