For almost 20 years, journalist Dawit Isaak has been imprisoned in Eritrea, while publisher and author Gui Minhai has been detained in China since 2015. The "silent diplomacy", ie the work that the government and the Foreign Ministry have done in secret, has been questioned over the years.
An independent commission will now examine how the various governments and authorities involved have worked with the release, after the Riksdag requested it earlier this year.
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This is Dawit Isaak: Imprisoned in 2001 after running a regime-critical newspaper.
Photo: TT / SVT Arki.
Access to secret information
According to Foreign Minister Ann Linde, the Commission will have full transparency in what has been done.
- It will have access to all this classified and classified information, she says to TT.
She also emphasizes that the work of getting the Swedes released is still ongoing and that it is important that the review does not negatively affect that process.
Review welcome
The organization Reporters Without Borders welcomes the review, even though it is considered that it has taken an unnecessarily long time.
- We hope that the Riksdag will have the opportunity to see what the various governments and foreign ministers have done for Dawit Isaak and Gui Minhai.
We did our own survey last year and it was clear that we do not know what has been done for Dawit Isaak for 20 years and for Gui Minhai for six years, says Erik Halkjaer, chairman of Reporters Without Borders.
"Hope to know the truth"
Dawit Isaac's daughter Bethlehem Isaac also welcomes a review.
She hopes to get more clarity on what has happened in her father's case.
- I hope we get to know the truth, what has been done and where has not been done.
I do not think that my father is the last journalist who will be harmed abroad and I hope that you will learn something from this, she says.
The review will begin on July 1 and should be completed by March next year.
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The fall of Gui Minhai in 60 seconds