The handover took place at a ceremony at the House of Nobility in Stockholm. Dawit Isaak is awarded by the jury for his "outstanding work and exceptional courage" when it comes to standing up for freedom of expression and human rights.
The Swedish-Eritrean journalist returned to Eritrea in the 1990s to help build up his home country after independence in 1993.
There, he co-founded Setit, the country's first independent newspaper. After openly criticizing the Eritrean government and demanding human rights and democratic reforms, he was imprisoned in September 2001 along with several colleagues.
According to the Harald Edelstam Foundation, Isaak, along with his colleagues, is the longest arbitrarily detained journalist in the world.
The Edelstam Prize is awarded in memory of the Swedish diplomat Harald Edelstam for outstanding efforts and exceptional courage in defense of human rights.
