15. november markerede PEN INTERNATIONALs ‘Writers in Prison Committee’
DEN FÆNGSLEDE FORFATTERS DAG
Kære medlemmer, kolleger og venner af PEN,
Den 15. November markerede PEN-centre verden over Fængslede forfatteres Dag.
Fængslede forfatteres Dag er en årlig, international markering til støtte for og anerkendelse af kolleger, der gør modstand mod undertrykkende regimers krænkelser af deres basale ret til ytringsfrihed, og som udsættes for trusler og angreb, fordi de hævder retten til at indsamle og dele informationer.
Igen i år vil vi sætte fokus på et antal konkrete sager, fordelt på fem geografiske regioner, som er repræsentative for de typer af angreb og trusler mod kolleger, som vi ser rundt om i verden:
Reeyot Alemu (Ethiopia): political columnist who has been held incommunicado and without charge since her arrest on 21st of June 2011. Ms. Alemu is believed to be detained under Ethiopia’s sweeping 2009 antiterrorism law. Susana Chavez (Mexico): poet and human rights activist who was murdered on 6 January 2011 in an attack many have claimed was the result of her writing and activism. Tashi Rabten (Tibet): poet and essayist, convicted of inciting separatism for a collection of political articles he wrote concerning the suppression of the March 2008 protests in Lhasa. Abdul-Jalil Al-Singace (Bahrain): activist and online blogger who has been sentenced to life imprisonment for publicising the deteriorating human rights situation in his home country. Nadim Sener and Ahmet Shik (Turkey): journalists who have been detained for writing books and articles disclosing police and other high level links to individuals arrested in the Ergenekon case under which over 200 people are accused of being involved in coup plots.
Flere oplysninger om de enkelte sager kan findes på PEN International’s webside: www.internationalpen.dk
Dagen bruges også til at mindes de 34 andre skribenter, der er myrdet siden 15. november 2010. Se længere nede:
Marian Botsford Frasier, der er forkvinde for Writers in Prison-komiteen, skriver i anledning af dagen:
Today is the 30th annual PEN International Day of the Imprisoned Writer. When I was in Stockholm a year ago for Swedish PEN’s annual event, I was told by someone that the Day of the Imprisoned Writer was proposed to PEN in 1981 by one of our esteemed presidents, Arthur Miller. Over thirty years, it‘s become a date that many PEN centres use to raise awareness, fundraise; it’s a date on which prizes are announced, a day on which PEN members come together with friends and supporters to mark the two central enterprises of PEN, promoting literature and defending freedom of expression.
As always, the WiPC staff has prepared background materials and a news release, highlighting current emblematic cases from the casebook; click here to see this year’s list. Some centres choose one or more of these cases for their own events; other centres use November 15 as a key public date in ongoing work on behalf of honorary members.
This year, because of recent disturbing events in Turkey, including the detention of publisher Ragip Zarakolu, among others, some centres are focusing on Turkey, and several are working together, with our colleagues from IPA, on a Turkey strategy. Norwegian PEN President, Anders Heger, has written a terrific op-ed about Ragip, who has many friends in PEN centres around the world; read here.
Siden 15. november 2010 er 34 forfattere/journalister blevet dræbt. Vi bringer her listen over deres navne. Æret være deres minde.
2010
1. 28 December, China SUN Hongjie Senior reporter 2011 1. 5 January , Pakistan Ilyas Nazar Journalist 2. 6 January, Mexico Susana CHAVEZ Poet and human rights advocate 3. 23 January, India Umesh RAJPUT Reporter 4. 17 Febuary, Iraq Hila Al Ahmad Journalist 5. 8 March, Mexico Noel LOPEZ OLGUIN Journalist 6. 18 March, Yemen M. Y. AL-MALAYIA Journalist 7. 5 April, Bahrain Karim Fakhrawi Newspaper founder and journalist 8. 5 April, Pakistan Zaman IBRAHIM Crime reporter 9. 14 April, P. A. Vittorio Arrigoni Journalist and activist 10. 21 April, Bolivia David NINO de GUZMAN News director, journalist 11. 3 May, Brazil Valério NASCIMENTO Newspaper owner and journalist 12. 17 May, Venezuela Wilfred Iván OJEDA PERALTA Political columnist and activist 13. 31 May, Pakistan Syed Saleem SHAHZAD Journalist and writer 14. Late May, Ivory Coast Lago SYLVAIN Journalist 15. 8 June, North Ossetia Shamil DZHIKAYEV Poet 16. 11 June, India Jyotirmoy DEY Investigations editor 17. 13 June, Mexico Pablo RUELAS BARRAZA Journalist 18. 15 June, Brazil Ednaldo FIGUEIRA Blogger and newspaper owner 19. 20 June, Mexico Miguel Angel LOPEZ VELASCO Journalist and editor 20. 3 July, Mexico Angel CASTILLO CORONA Journalist 21. 5 July, Syria Ibrahim QASHOUSH Poet and song writer 22. 30 June, Colombia Luis Eduardo GOMEZ Journalist 23. 29 July, Mexico Yolanda ORDAZ De La CRUZ Crime reporter 24. 5 August, Brazil Auro IDA Political columnist 25. 23 August, Pakistan Muneer SHARIK Journalist 26. 24 August, Mexico Humberto MILLAN SALAZAR Political columnist 27. 1 September, Mexico Ana María YARCE VIVEROS Reporter and magazine founder 28. 1 September, Mexico Rocio GONZALEZ TRAPAGA Freelance journalist 29. 8 September, Iraq Hadi Al-MAHDI Journalist, playwright 30. 27 September, Mexico María Elizabeth MARCIAS CASTRO Editor and blogger 31. 4 October, India Ramesh SINGLA Journalist 32. 7 October, Pakistan Faisal QURESHI Editor 33. 7 October, Philippines Jonson PASCUAL Journalist Kontakt evt.: Mille Rode, journalist Dansk PEN Dronningensgade 14 1420 København K Telefon +45 32 95 44 17 Mobil +45 40 45 44 19