On November 15 each year International PEN stages the Day of the Imprisoned Writer. PEN members do what they can to "raise public awareness of the plight of their colleagues worldwide," writing protest appeals, staging events, and calling attention to imprisoned writers around the globe. Five writers in particular are selected "to represent the global spread of the problems as well as to illustrate the types of attacks."
This year, PEN is focusing on these five writers:
Burma (Myanmar): Zargana
Well-known comedian and poet among the many arrested in recent crackdown against pro-democracy demonstrators
Cuba: Normando Hernández González
Journalist imprisoned under crackdown on dissidents in 2003 and since held under dire conditions
Gambia: Fatou Jaw Manneh
Journalist on trial and facing a heavy sentence on charges of sedition for her articles criticizing the Gambian president
Iran: Yaghoub Yadali
Novelist given a one-year sentence for his fictional characterization of the ethnic minority of which he is himself a member
Uzbekistan: Dzamshid Karimov
Journalist who has covered human rights abuses and written critical articles, and who has been held in psychiatric detention for over a year
15.11.07
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1 comment:
The common denominator among all of them is government repression of their right to freedom of speech, correct? I wouldn't wonder if they are made to rot in jail.
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