AFP REPORTER "FROZEN" FOR MENTIONING GSE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASMARA 000849 SIPDIS SIPDIS LONDON, PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/25/2017 TAGS: PHUM PGOV KPAO ASEC ER SUBJECT: AFP REPORTER "FROZEN" FOR MENTIONING GSE SURVEILLANCE IN ARTICLE REF: A. A) 00821 ASMARA ¶B. B) 00838 ASMARA Classified By: CDA Jennifer A. McIntyre, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Days after Reporters without Borders (RSF) declared Eritrea the worst country in the world for press freedom, the Government of the State of Eritrea (GSE) "froze" Agence France-Presse (AFP) stringer and British Citizen Peter Martell, forbidding him from filing stories from Eritrea. Initially, Martell believed the GSE had "frozen" him based on his October 16 story about the placement of Eritrea on the bottom of RSF press freedom index. However, the same day, he also filed a story regarding the assassination attempt on Colonel Simon Ghebredengel (reftels A and B). In this second story, Martell referred to allegations that the Eritrean National Security Agency (ANS) was conducting activities "believed to include the tapping telephone conversations as well as managing a wide network of informers." According to Martell, he was called into the GSE's Ministry of Information (MOI) and ordered to show him all of his past filings from Eritrea. He was told that to be allowed to report again from Asmara, he would have to provide the MOI with a letter explaining how he knew the ANS engaged in telephone surveillance activities. The regional AFP office provided this written response, noting that the sentence in Martell's article referred to common speculation and did not claim outright that the GSE was actually conducting these activities. Despite the submission of this letter, Martell continues to wait for a response from the GSE about his status in Eritrea. ¶2. (C) Comment: The "freezing" of the international stringers is common practice in Eritrea. In the past the GSE has "frozen" - and even declared persona non grata - international journalists after they have filed stories unfavorable to the GSE. This is the first time that Martell, who has been reporting from Eritrea for nearly a year, has been "frozen". The other international stringer, an American citizen writing for Reuters, remains able to file stories. The previous Reuters/BBC reporter, who was in Eritrea from January 2004 to June 2006, was "frozen" at least three times during his tenure, the last incident occurring during his final five weeks in Eritrea, in which the GSE would not let him report but also refused to let him leave the country. Routine surveillance by the ANS is an accepted fact among the diplomatic, ex-patriot and Eritrean communities. With this act, the GSE shows again why it deserves its ranking at the bottom of the RSF press freedom index. End Comment. MCINTYRE