Swedish journalist Dawit Isaak has soon been detained for 5,000 days.

Now urges MEP Lars Adaktusson KD, EU to increase pressure on the Eritrean regime.

– It is silence that the regime wants to see in this case – because it is very important that we recall the terrible things that happened Dawit says Lars Adaktusson.

When Parliament debated the Union’s development aid to Eritrea on Wednesday evening took Lars Adaktusson also to remind the Swede imprisoned Dawit Isaak – and that on Tuesday of next week has been 5,000 days since he was arrested and imprisoned in Asmara.

– I think it has been a period of relative silence, both media and political, and I think it is important to keep up the pressure on the Eritrean regime in this important case, and this is a good time, says Lars Adaktusson.

Open letter

He has also written an open letter to the EU’s two top executives, Jean-Claude Juncker and Federika Mogherini where he makes a wish for the EU to increase the pressure on Eritrea.

The letter went on Wednesday to all Swedish MEP with the hope that everyone signs.

– I have received very positive reactions so far, so I have every reason to believe that there will be broad support, says Lars Adaktusson.

He wants the EU to focus its diplomatic and economic sanctions against the Eritrean government representatives, prevent Eritrean embassies in the EU can enforce the illegal collection of taxes that exist today and sharpness counterclaims that the country follows the human rights to receive assistance.

”I hope the regime will soon be gone”

The letter should be handed over to Mr Juncker and Mogherini on Tuesday June 2nd.

– The concrete proposals which, I emphasize, I think are requirements that we need to operate from the Swedish side but also from Europe, says Lars Adaktusson.

He has been involved in the case of Dawit Isaak, for many years, and did during his time as a journalist for a trip to Eritrea, where he interviewed the country’s president Isaias Afwerki. After that he is not welcome back to the country.

– I sincerely hope that this regime will soon be gone, it would be the best thing that could happen for the Eritrean population.

Eritrea is one of the world’s harshest dictatorships and all power is concentrated in the President Isaias Afwerki and his party PFDJ.

Several thousand prisoners of conscience are calculated in prison in Eritrea without trial and under poor conditions.

Dawit Isaak is, according to Amnesty International the only Swedish prisoner of conscience. He was arrested 23 September 2001.

• EXPRESSEN