Eritrean Cartoonist Freed After 15 Years Imprisonment Without Trial

An Eritrean satirical cartoonist detained for 15 years without charge has been released from prison, according to relatives and friends, in a rare development in a country long criticised for holding large numbers of prisoners without trial.

Biniam Solomon, widely known by the pen name Cobra, was arrested in 2011 in the capital Asmara and held without trial for more than a decade. Now in his early 60s, he was recently freed after spending years incommunicado, with no official explanation from Eritrean authorities regarding either the grounds for his arrest or the reasons for his release.

His case underscores broader concerns over Eritrea’s opaque detention system, which rights groups say includes thousands of prisoners held without due process.

According to family members cited by the BBC, Solomon had no contact with his relatives during the entire 15-year detention and received only occasional medical treatment. For part of that period he was held in Asmara’s “crime investigation” prison, which is widely reported to hold political detainees and conscientious objectors.

Human rights organizations have long documented allegations about detention conditions in Eritrea, including lack of communication with the outside world, insufficient food and medicine, and prolonged isolation. The Eritrean government has rejected such accusations.

The United Nations has previously called for the release of around 10,000 people it says are held without trial in Eritrea. While some detainees have been released in recent months, critics note that the process often occurs outside transparent legal procedures and without official explanations.

Solomon’s detention also intersects with Eritrea’s history of severe restrictions on media freedom. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported on January 29 that 42 journalists in Africa were jailed for their work as of December 1, 2025, including 16 journalists imprisoned in Eritrea for at least two decades.

According to CPJ, those journalists were detained during a sweeping crackdown on independent media in 2001 and have never been charged or tried. Their legal status, health conditions, and even whereabouts remain unknown.

CPJ has described Eritrea as “the worst jailer of journalists in Africa”, noting that many of the detainees have been held longer than any other journalists in the world.

The organization has warned that some of the journalists may have died in detention but continues to include them in its annual prison census to hold Eritrean authorities accountable for their fate.

Before his arrest, Solomon was known for satirical cartoons addressing political and social issues. Using the pen name Cobra, he published cartoons in Eritrean newspapers between 1997 and 2001, a brief period when private media operated following Eritrea’s independence from Ethiopia.

That era ended in September 2001, when the government closed private media outlets, arguing they were “endangering national security.” Several journalists were imprisoned during the crackdown.

Solomon also compiled his work in three books - Subtle is the Ruler, Conversation with Cobra Number One, and Conversation with Cobra Number Two. His cartoons often satirized political uncertainty and bureaucratic dynamics within the government.

Despite losing one arm in childhood, Solomon pursued a career as an artist and also worked as a secondary-school physics teacher in Asmara to supplement his income. His drawings gained recognition for combining political commentary with humor.

Solomon’s release comes amid reports that Eritrean authorities have quietly freed other long-term detainees. However, observers say the releases remain inconsistent and lack legal transparency.

Rights groups argue that while individual releases occasionally occur, Eritrea’s broader detention system remains largely unchanged, with prisoners often held for years or decades without charge, trial, or public record.

For analysts and advocacy groups, the case illustrates both the endurance of Eritrea’s restrictive political environment and the limited visibility surrounding detainees whose cases rarely appear in formal legal proceedings.