6-Year Torture and Unjust Detention of Eritrean Journalist Yirgalem Fisseha Mebrahtu

Yirgalem Fisseha Mebrahtu (Amharic: ይርጋለም ፍስሃ መብራቱ; born in 1981) is recognized as one of Eritrea’s most talented poets, as well as a gifted writer and radio presenter. In 2009, she was detained by Eritrean authorities following a raid on Radio Bana, an educational radio station where she worked. The military detained over 30 journalists and staff members during the raid. While most were released after four years, Mebrahtu and five others endured six years of imprisonment without trial in one of Eritrea’s most notorious military prisons. Her unjust detention made her a powerful symbol of the Eritrean government's suppression of free expression, with her image widely circulated on social media and posters advocating for her release. Since 2018, Yirgalem has lived in exile in Munich, Germany.