Isaias Afwerki (born 2 February 1946) is an Eritrean politician who has been the first and current president of Eritrea since the country's independence in 1993. He led the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) to victory in May 1991, ending the 30-year-old war for independence. Isaias is the leader of Eritrea's sole legal political party, the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ). He has been cited for human rights violations by the United Nations and Amnesty International.Reporters Without Borders ranked Eritrea, under the government of Afwerki, last in its Press Freedom Index from 2007 until 2016.