You’re an exiled Eritrean journalist living in France. Why did you leave Eritrea?

"I’ve been here since 2007. The reason I left Eritrea is because there is no freedom of press or freedom of speech, so it is difficult to be true to your self as a journalist. If you write what the government wants you to, you know you are not reporting the news. When you do report the truth, you are seen as a terrorist and out to destroy the unity of Eritrea.

"I was working as a TV journalist and editor. It is simply impossible to report the news and what you see. I can’t tell you what happened because I am afraid for my colleagues back home who are still working as journalists. It is enough to say that I was afraid for my life, and that there were people in the government who were after me.

"I applied for a digital media programme in Japan, so the authorities thought I was leaving Eritrea to study. While I was there, things got worse and I heard that if I returned, I would still be in danger. There was no way I could go back.

"I contacted RSF (Reporters Sans Frontières) while I was in Japan and they helped me to seek asylum in France."

What was your idea behind the radio station?

"A group of friends and I had an idea that we could create a free and fair news service outside Eritrea for inside Eritrea. We decided to start a radio station broadcast through a satellite. With the help of my friends and RSF we started our radio station.

"Now, all Eritreans can receive the radio station through our satellite. Even Ethiopians can receive it."

How do you get your news?

"We get our news from many sources. We have sources in the government who are devoted to reporting what they see and they let us know what is happening by sending us emails or by phone. They are risking their lives to work for us and for the people of Eritrea. I can’t imagine if they ever got caught. They would just disappear. A lot of journalists just disappear in Eritrea."

In a country with so little press freedom, what were the challenges in ensuring Radio Erena had listeners?

"The government knows we exist and at first there was a huge campaign against us when we started broadcasting. Our challenge in starting Radio Erena was not money or equipment or even finding the studio. The biggest challenge was counteracting the government’s claims that we were spies and the radio station was there to create disharmony in Eritrea. It was a huge scare campaign and we had to fight to show we were here for the people and not spies with the CIA.

"We are the first independent radio in Eritirea. There are other media groups not associated with the government, but they are associated with the opposition and only report their side of the news. We are the first truly independent radio station of Eritrea. This was our second challenge because the people didn’t know whose side we were on. We are not on anyone’s side. We only report the news. We had to explain this kind of reporting to our listeners.

"Our third challenge was when the governmnet started imprisoning people who listened to our radio station. They were eventually released, but it was still concerning for us as we didn’t want to scare people from listening to our radio station. The government has stopped imprisoning people for tuning in to Radio Erena for the moment, but I’m sure things could change.

"The government regularly jams the radio frequencies of alternative media, but we have escaped this so far because we broadcast through satellite, not short wave radio like the others. We’ve now heard they want to block our satellite. We know they’ve hired technicians to find a way to stop the satellite."

What is your message on World Press Freedom Day to those who might not appreciate the difficult circumstances in which journalists in Eritrea operate?

"We are in a different world. Some people just don’t believe you when you tell them what our country is like when it comes to freedom of speech. They say, ’It cannot happen in today’s world!’ But I say, ’Yes - it happens in Eritrea’.

"I think many people take press freedom for granted and it’s only when they lose this freedom they realise what they had. People need to fight every day for press freedom.

"What we need for the people of Eritrea is basic human rights - the freedom of speech, the freedom of thought. That’s it. That’s all we want. Other political things can come later. But we need to think freely and talk freely.

"I am proud of what we have created, but I will be even more proud when we achieve our aims, which is to have human rights in Eritrea."

Visit www.worldpressfreedomday.org to read more exclusive interviews with exiled journalists and to find out how you can get involved with 3 May, World Press Freedom Day.