My online chat with the DN swedish newspaper readers

Google translation of my online chat with DN readers.
Sam: Hi Khaled! I just want to ask if you know about the neighboring country of Ethiopia is different in terms of media and freedom of the media? Or is it that in eritrea.
Khaled Abdu: It is not as in Eritrea. They have at least independent newspapers and journalists are active. I can say that it is much better in Ethiopia.

Saba: Hi Abdu! If I ask you first to look backward and then forward - beyond the situation today. We know that Dawit Isaak lacked training and experience as a journalist. Did you journalist training course when you started working with the magazine in Eritrea? How many trained journalists were among the newspapers that began in the country of 2000-2001?
Khaled Abdu: Eritrea as a country had no journalistic utbuildning at all as both the government media and independent journalists had another utbuilding but the information ministry had requirements to work as a journalist and we got permission to work as journalists.

Erik: Hey, how does everything over there?
Khaled Abdu: Erik, it's total collapse in the economy and in politics there. Every day thousands leave the country and people are starving, so the situation has become worse and worse

dddd: Has he (Dawit Isaak, ed's note) in the last three years been able to contact his family?
Khaled Abdu: He contacted the family only once when he was released.

Mårten Sjögren: Why is Sweden's silence when we should act?
Khaled Abdu: Quiet diplomacy silence all voices. So with quiet diplomacy, we can not know how much is done. Is not 8 years?

Garfield: Hey Khaled! Would it help Dawit Isaak on Sweden acted more to resolve the dispute over Badme?
Khaled Abdu: Hi Gustaf, I do not think so because it is two different things. Dawit is in prison not because of border conflict, but the dictator wants to stay in power illegally and are satisfied with the "no peace no war" situation.

Jermia: Saba, education? It is about justice. You mean outbidade journalists börsitta in jail?
Khaled Abdu: I mean not that I meant only that we had no journalistic utbuildning in Eritreas college when we started working as journalists.

Ask: Is it true that you journalists did not have experience or training? You have to follow its rules.
Khaled Abdu: What rules are you talking about? If we have not followed the rules then it is a trial to decide, not you or I or the dictator.

Luke: Hello, I was just wondering why he was detained over huvuvud time? If he had done a crime, then he should surely not be exempt? But if he had not done any crime, then he should surely not be in prison? How is it in Eritrea? Infrastructure?
Khaled Abdu: He is in prison only because he tried to do what a journalist would do. He intervujade reformists as all other detained journalists and the dictator says they have played a negative role to disrupt the people's opinion, but it's just false accusation <. Br>
Mårten Sjögren: Hi mr.k. .. Why is David in Eritrean prison?
Khaled Abdu: For that Eritrea is the wrong place to work as a journalist.

Jermia: Hello, Is there any strong opposition outside of Eritrea?
Khaled Abdu: There is an alliance of Ethiopia and there are many civic organizations that are in opposition.

Johanna: Hey, why has it taken so incredibly long time before Sweden realize that we may have to do something drastic because we are after 8 years realize that the soft methods do not work?
Khaled Abdu: I think it was a political issue before, now the situation is different and should we have Dawit alive we must act now even if it is late.

Jake: Is all the media under state control in Eritrea today?
Khaled Abdu: Yes, we have no free media at all.

Jermia: Hello Again! Why is supporting so many eritraner in the diaspora president?
Khaled Abdu: Most are tangible interests in Eritrea, they have invested and they want to defend their interests.

Adam Olsson: How can we as a government either forget or dark a Swedish citizens' rights in the entire 8 years? How can you feel safe in a democracy where not everyone has the same conditions?
Khaled Abdu: The question can be sent to the politicians but as I see it it is terrible to be imprisoned in countries such as Eritrea and politicians are reacting in this way.

Erik: When people leave the country, was traveling them?
Khaled Abdu: The Ethiopian refugee camps, we have more than 30,000 Eritreans in Sudan and more than twice. In Sweden, only we have more than 3000 Eritreans who have come after 2001.

Olivia: How is life in prison over there?
Khaled Abdu: Emergency fact. No family contact at all and you never know if they live or have already died.

Jermia: The opposition that I have met in Sweden e probably not strong, and is not a solid agenda. Did you watch it?
Khaled Abdu: Yes, I am active on this issue but if the opposition is not strong then dictator's time longer so it's a dilemma we must do something about.

Jermia: interest? Can they not see that people are starving? the e the scares me is not the president.
Khaled Abdu: I with Jermia, there are double standards even when they have their children here why should they care about the people starving in Eritrea. Most are selfish.

Bosse: Vaför this campaign Dawit, when not heard a jota on Roland Larssons captivity of the FARC guerrillas? It was an interesting contrast.
Khaled Abdu: Bosse, good that Roland is free but we can discuss your question after we save Dawit life is in danger.

Jake: Do you believe that a threat to strangle aid to Eritrea could "force" until the release of Dawit?
Khaled Abdu: At least it can shorten the dictator's time in power. Assistance will be used to monitor the safety and build new prisons, that is what worries me.

Hendra Ali: It is I who is called Mårten Sjögren ... and I wonder if you know what is planned to let David free?
Khaled Abdu: I do not think there is some plan to free him.

Yonas: Do you think poetic cut will listen to the media? Thanks Khaled.
Khaled Abdu: What is important for the dictator is money as such pressure can in the long term impact on the situation in Eritrea.

Gustav: Do you think it is right to Eritra receive assistance from the EU?
Khaled Abdu: There must be conditional, otherwise why should the EU provide assistance to a country that denies visas to MEPs?

Carl: Hi Khaled, I wonder what Dawit actually did in Eritrea?
Khaled Abdu: He worked as a journalist in the wrong country. Working as a journalist in a dictatorial country is the wrong choice I think.

Gustav Fredric: Has anyone seen Dawit or has had any kind of contact with him during the jail time?
Khaled Abdu: It is not allowed to see other people. Even those who are in prison do not know each other because they have numbers instead of names. But Dawit was free in a few days in 2005 when he had contact with the family in Sweden by telephone.

Saba: Hi again. Unfortunately, you have not answered my question about your and your colleagues ev. training and experience to run a newspaper. I think it is a central issue of how the facts developed in 2001 and it is also an important issue on the future of Eritrea the possibility of a real independent free media, which many of us dream about. I want an honest answer please.
Khaled Abdu: Hi Saba, I have read at the University of Asmara, but as I said before we had no journalistic training in college, so how can we train ourselves to journalists when there is no such training. If the requirement is then most who work for government media also low, so how can they conduct their business?

Fredrik Norén: How big is the popular support for the regime in Eritrea? Is there any organized opposition?
Khaled Abdu: Support? If you defend material interests and forget the situation and how people are affected, should I count it as a support? So they are not real fans. If the opposition, yes we have been in neighboring Ethiopia.

Ulrika Lif: Hi! In idéskriften "It is fortunate that the generals do not read children's books" from Children Ängens World Library (2005) are some examples of child literature functioned as a valve, when the critical adult literature banned or censorship "when the dictatorship and oppression prevailed in different parts of the world. Do you have a picture of how it looks on children literature in Eritrea today?
Khaled Abdu: We have not much children's literature in Eritrea. But everything is politicized and we can often see young children forced to participate in political demonstrations.

Mikaela: Hi again, why talk about removing the bread from the poor, thus stopping the assistance ... to reach the President did not order, or vice versa ... how is it intended? Khaled Abdu: I often say that do not send money, send food to the poor can eat, but money can be used for other goals.

Roland: Why does not Dawit their own responsibility for their actions? Get it as a överrasking him that Eritrea is not freedom of expression?
Khaled Abdu: We can not know what will happen the next day so he was a victim.

Hasse: How fragmented is the Eritreans in Sweden for support to the regime? Are there groups that support the regime?
Khaled Abdu: Supports regime? I do not believe they are defending their material interests. Most have invested down there and do not want to risk to express a negative view of the dictator.

Mikaela: Why is it so important to defend a David, when you have one hundred adolescent who lose their lives as soldiers to defend the country?
Khaled Abdu: To Dawit is a Swedish citizen, otherwise I am with and have said before in Jönköping Posten that if it is not regime change then it is hopeless for the people down there.

Anders: Where are you from Abdu actually, someone said you are from Ethiopia?
Khaled Abdu: I am from Eritrea. If I were Ethiopians, I would have worked as a journalist in Ethiopia and would not sit and discuss such terrible things about Eritrea.

Zahra: Hi Khaled, my question is that I want to ask you if Abdu Kaled of the Ministry of information does have exprience to be a journalist in Eritrea?
Khaled Abdu: Ali Abdu, he has no journalistic education.

Saba: Thank you for your answer! Sweden would then and also now offer Eritrea aid to education in the media. I read this a year, a German media institution had been training for Eritreans in Eritrea. What do you think about it?
Khaled Abdu: Saba, if you receive training but are not free to utryska then is education värdlös.

Bosse: Okay, let me rephrase myself: why this mammoth campaign for Dawit Isaak? This campaign is unprecedented. Help me understand!
Khaled Abdu: campaign help Eritreans in the whole of the note of the situation so we are grateful for the campaign.

Johny: The regime is to say the least brutal of human rights. How can such a regime living without opposition? Are not there any resistance movement in the country?
Khaled Abdu: We have thousands in prison for calling for reform but we have the opposition in neighboring countries, Ethiopia and Sudan.

Johny: What do you think about the religious discrimination that is going on in Eritrea? Many Christians have been imprisoned and it is forbidden to talk about the gospel in the country when it branded as "penta". What do you think of this?
Khaled Abdu: The dictator has officially said that the gospel or "penta" is not allowed but it is not just "penta" without all the religious are the victims of the regime wants us to fear him not God. All who fear God more than the dictator sacrifice themselves.