For a quarter of a century, many Eritrean journalists and writers have remained forcibly disappeared and held incommunicado without trial, legal representation, or confirmed information about their condition. Despite the gravity and duration of this situation, these cases remain underreported or little known internationally.
This event seeks to shed light on these untold stories while creating a space for informed discussion on freedom of expression, censorship, exile, and the human cost of silencing independent voices in Eritrea. It has been organised by PEN Eritrea in Exile, in partnership with English PEN, PEN International and the Global Culture’s Institute at King’s College London. It is part of the campaign 25 Years Disappeared: Proof of Life Now.
The event is a focused programme of approximately three hours, which will include:
- A panel discussion on freedom of expression and the continued imprisonment of journalists and writers since
- Contributions from writers, academics and human rights activists
- A special screening of the film Dawit: Every Century Has Its Own Hideous Face
- Audience discussion and questions
Speakers & Biographies
Dr Mai Musié (Panel Chair)
Mai is an ancient historian and public engagement specialist whose research explores race, ethnicity, and representations of the “other” in Greek and Roman literature, with a particular focus on connections between the ancient Mediterranean and the Horn of Africa. Her public engagement work has been recognised through numerous awards for its creativity, impact, and commitment to amplifying marginalised voices.
A regular literary event host and interviewer, Mai is a member of PEN Eritrea in Exile and a former trustee of Classics for All and the Roman Society. Her forthcoming book, Perilous Journeys: Ancient and Modern Reflections on Memory, Migration, and Exile, blends memoir and history to trace the lives of refugees and asylum seekers across antiquity and the modern world. Mai is a non-stipendiary Research Fellow at the Institute of Classical Studies, University of London.
Website: drmaimusie.com
Professor Ghirmai Negash
Ghirmai is a Professor of English and African Literature at Ohio University, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in English and Global Literatures. He is a former director of the African Studies Program (2016-2025), Ohio University, founder and former editor of the Modern African Writing series of the Ohio University Press, and past chair of the Department of Eritrean Languages and Literature at the University of Asmara (2001-2005). A multilingual in several European and African languages, Negash publishes in both English and African languages. His research covers modern African literature from the Horn of Africa and South Africa, as well as critical theory, translation, and indigenous African knowledge systems.
Website: https://www.ohio.edu/directory/ghirmai-negash
Nduko o’Matigere
Nduko is Head of the Africa Region at PEN international- he leads PEN international’s work across Africa, including research and advocacy on freedom of expression, coordinating assistance and solidarity work for writers at risk, support to PEN Centers in Africa and networking with literary and human rights movements to expand the frontiers of imagination and action to defeat unfreedoms in our world.
Martin Plaut
Born in South Africa in May 1950, Martin Plaut is currently Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and at King’s College. He received degree from the Universities of Cape Town, the Witwatersrand and Warwick. He joined the Labour Party as Secretary on Africa and the Middle East in 1979 before going on to work for the BBC, working primarily on Africa. He became Africa editor, BBC World Service News and reported from across the continent before retiring from the BBC in October 2013. Martin Plaut has advised both the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the US State Department.
He has published ten books including:
- Unbroken Chains: A 5,000 year history of African enslavement, Hurst, London, August 2025
- Understanding Ethiopia’s Tigray war, Hurst, London 2023, February 2023 (with Sarah Vaughan)
- Dr Abdullah Abdurahman: South Africa’s first elected black politician, Jacana Media, 2020
- Promise and Despair: The first struggle for a non-racial South Africa, 1899 – 1914, Jacana Media, 2016
- Understanding Eritrea: Inside Africa’s most repressive state, Hurst, October, 2016
- Unfinished Business: Ethiopia and Eritrea at war, Red Sea Press, 2005, (editor, with Dominique Jacquine-Berdal)
Website: https://martinplaut.com/
Abdurahman Sayed
Abdurahman Sayed is a London-based community leader and political analyst specialising in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea region, and Nile affairs. He holds a BA in International Relations and a Master’s in Comparative Federalism and Conflict Resolution from UK universities.
A regular political commentator for BBC, Al Jazeera, Voice of America, and Deutsche Welle across Amharic, Arabic, English, and Tigrigna services, he speaks five languages and has followed Eritrean and regional affairs closely for decades – including the closure of the country’s independent press and the imprisonment of journalists since 2001.
He advocates for inclusive democratic governance and regional integration across the Horn of Africa, and has over 30 years’ experience in UK community engagement and cohesion work, including advisory roles with the GLA, London Fire Brigade, and NHS. In 2017 he was recognised at the Pride of Britain Awards for his work supporting the Grenfell Tower community.