Media in Eritrea

The Ministry of Information oversees the principal media institutions in Eritrea. State broadcasters include Eri-TV, Channel 2, Dimtsi Hafash, Radio Zara and Radio Numa, while ERINA supplies news. Print outlets include Haddas Ertra, Eritrea Alhaditha, Eritrea Profile and magazines such as Shebab. The Ministry's current information services list print editions and ERi-TV content. Dimtsi Hafash broadcasts in nine Eritrean languages as well as Amharic and Oromiffa through shortwave, medium wave, satellite and FM services. Some programmes accept direct telephone contributions and include youth content. Domestic independent media have been prohibited or closed since 2001. Under Press Proclamation No. 90/1996, radio and television are reserved for the state, while print media ownership is limited to Eritrean citizens. A publication requires a Ministry of Information permit and a licence from the Business License Office, and journalists are registered. Foreign journalists need a renewable annual ministerial permit, which can be refused without an explanation. Unauthorized publication or journalistic work can lead to confiscation, licence suspension, fines or imprisonment. Formal rules recognize journalists' access to information, protection of sources and freedom of association. They also require verification and respect for privacy, dignity and the protection of minors. Rules prohibit the publication of certain secrets, material considered divisive or violent, unauthorized maps or images and specified foreign publications. In practice, information access and civic space remain severely restricted. The United Nations reported extensive restrictions in 2025, and the 2026 World Press Freedom Index placed Eritrea 180th of 180 countries with a score of 10.24. Journalists have experienced long-term secret or arbitrary detention, although a stable current number is not available. Broadcasting reaches people through terrestrial local services and satellite transmission, with state control across the domestic system. There is no reliable evidence of a local commercial over-the-top streaming platform. MoI and ERi-TV online material, including YouTube and live-streaming content reported by the Ministry in 2026, provides a functional online alternative, but slow and limited connectivity restricts access inside Eritrea. EriTel is the state telecommunications and information-technology provider. Broadband is concentrated in larger towns and settlements. EriTel's listed data prices are 1 GB per month for 1,000 NKF, 3 GB for 2,500 NKF, 10 GB for 4,000 NKF, 25 GB for 8,000 NKF, Night Lite for 500 NKF and Weekend for 1,500 NKF; router and installation charges may be additional. These figures can vary by time and location, and mobile data access should not be treated as equivalent to fixed broadband. ITU data reported internet use at 27% in 2022; 2021 figures recorded 50 mobile subscriptions and 25 active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 people, no fixed-broadband subscriptions per 100 people and about 5,000 fixed-broadband subscriptions. Website and application blocking, monitoring and self-censorship affect online media use. Social media has greater political and human-rights importance within the Eritrean diaspora than inside the country, where reach is limited by access conditions and surveillance concerns. Diaspora alternatives include Radio Erena, the BBC and Asena TV, but their domestic reach is restricted. Foreign satellite programmes and satellite dishes have been described as formally possible, although their current spread is unclear. State radio telephone lines and formal print-permit channels provide the main documented participation routes. Independent civic groups are prohibited, and private meetings of more than seven people require permission. Media content involving young people must protect the identity and dignity of minors who are suspects or victims. State youth and children's programmes exist, but there is no reliable evidence of an independent youth-media regulator, a comprehensive age-rating system or a specialized online complaints procedure. Users should therefore distinguish between formal constitutional rights, official media services and the practical limits created by state control, surveillance, connectivity and censorship.