PEN International Case List 2018 About PEN International PEN International Promotes Literature and Freedom of Expression and Is Governed by the PEN Charter
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The PEN International Case List 2018 About PEN International PEN International promotes literature and freedom of expression and is governed by the PEN Charter. Founded in London in 1921, PEN International – PEN’s Secretariat – connects an international community of writers. It is a forum where writers meet freely to discuss their work; it is also a voice speaking out for writers silenced in their own countries. Through Centres in over 100 countries, PEN operates on five continents. PEN International is a non-political organisation which holds Special Consultative Status at the UN, Associate Status at UNESCO and Observer Status at the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of PEN International was set up in 1960 as a result of mounting concern about attempts to silence critical voices around the world through the detention of writers. It works on behalf of those who are detained or otherwise persecuted for their opinions expressed in writing and for writers who are under attack for their peaceful political activities or for the practice of their profession, provided that they did not use violence or advocate violence or racial hatred. The work of the WiPC in documenting persecution of writers resulted in the development of PEN’s Case List – an annual record of attacks, imprisonment and persecution of those who use the written word to express themselves, in whatever form. Member centres of PEN International are active in campaigning for an improvement in the conditions of persecuted writers and journalists. They send letters to the governments concerned and lobby their own governments to campaign for the release of detained writers and for investigations into cases of torture and killings. Through writing to the families and, where possible, directly to prisoners, they provide encouragement and hope. PEN International and its Centres also advocate for systemic change to restrictive laws and practices, including by submitting its freedom of expression concerns and recommendations to various international and regional human rights bodies. Information sources PEN International gathers its information from a wide variety of sources. It seeks to confirm its information through two independent sources. Where its information is unconfirmed, it will either take no action, or word its outputs to reflect the fact that the information is as yet incomplete. Sources include press reports, reports from individuals in the region in question, reports from other human rights groups, PEN members themselves, embassy officials, academics, prisoners’ families, lawyers and friends, and exile groups. It also partners with other international NGOs, such as Article 19, Committee to Protect Journalists, Freedom House, Index on Censorship, and Reporters without Borders. It is a founder member of IFEX – the International Freedom of Expression Exchange, a collaborative, on-line service in which national, regional and international organisations involved in the campaign for free expression pool information and amplify each others’ voices. Authors and Special Thanks Editor: Sara Whyatt Authors: Aurélia Dondo, Nael Georges, Cathal Sheerin, Emma Wadsworth-Jones Special thanks to: Sahar Halaimzai, Michael Halmshaw, Ingrid Brandvik, Alicia Quiñones, Mojibur Doftori, Miriam Lawson, Belén Espada Vioque PEN International is a non-political organisation which holds Observer Status with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Special Consultative Status at the United Nations and Associate Status at UNESCO. PEN International is a registered charity in England and Wales with registration number 1117088. pen-international.org PEN International Case List Charter Methodology The PEN Charter is based on resolutions PEN International gathers its information from a wide variety of sources and seeks to confirm its information passed at its International Congresses and through at least two independent sources. Where its may be summarised as follows: information is unconfirmed, it will either take no action, PEN affirms that: or word its outputs to reflect the fact that the information is as yet incomplete. Sources include press reports, • Literature knows no frontiers and must remain reports from individuals in the region in question, common currency among people in spite of political reports from other human rights groups, PEN members or international upheavals. themselves, embassy officials, academics, prisoners’ • In all circumstances, and particularly in time of war, families, lawyers and friends, and exile groups. It also works of art, the patrimony of humanity at large, partners with other international NGOs, such as Article should be left untouched by national or political 19, Committee to Protect Journalists, Freedom House, passion. Index on Censorship, and Reporters without Borders. It is a founder member of IFEX – the International Freedom • Members of PEN should at all times use what of Expression Exchange, a collaborative, on-line service influence they have in favour of good understanding in which national, regional and international organisations and mutual respect between nations and people; involved in the campaign for free expression pool they pledge themselves to do their utmost to information and amplify each others’ voices. dispel all hatreds and to champion the ideal of one humanity living in peace and equality in one world. Writers are frequently also journalists and media commentators, and vice versa, so PEN will also include • PEN stands for the principle of unhampered a person on the list whose primary role is as a writer, transmission of thought within each nation but who may be under pressure for their journalism. and between all nations, and members pledge A journalist who is threatened for writing a book may themselves to oppose any form of suppression of also become a PEN concern, such as where crime freedom of expression in the country and community reporters publish books based on their investigations into to which they belong, as well as throughout the criminality. Similarly PEN will on occasion take up visual world wherever this is possible. PEN declares for a artists, including filmmakers and cartoonists. free press and opposes arbitrary censorship in time of peace. It believes that the necessary advance Rather than attempting to duplicate the work of its of the world towards a more highly organised media rights colleagues, this list features those cases political and economic order renders a free criticism that are either unique to PEN and are not within other of governments, administrations and institutions organisations’ remits, such as writers of literature and imperative. And since freedom implies voluntary poets, or where there is a crossover between journalism restraint, members pledge themselves to oppose and literature. It should also be noted that the Case List such evils of a free press as mendacious publication, can only provide a snapshot of what is likely to be a deliberate falsehood and distortion of facts for larger phenomenon: offences are often not reported, political and personal ends. writers may self-censor, and other obstacles arise in terms of documenting the silencing of writers. This is highly likely to be the case for women writers as the full extent of censorship of women must be seen within the Sponsors wider context of gender-based violence, and lack of access to education, civil, political and cultural rights. Our work would be impossible without our Sponsors The Case List is intended to provide an overview and who include: an indication of global trends, and a guide to the type of challenges writers face, in which countries, and the Swedish International Development Agency, kind of actions that other writers worldwide are taking in Norwegian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, support of their colleagues. the Fritt Ord Foundation, the Evan Cornish Foundation, the United Nations Democracy Fund, individual donations, membership fees from PEN members and supporters of the PEN Circles. 2 INTRODUCTION 3 OVERVIEW 5 WRITERS KILLED IN 2017 10 EXPLANATION OF TERMS USED AfricaAfrica 13 OVERVIEW 15 CASE LIST 25 PEN ACTIONS AmericasAmericas 26 OVERVIEW 28 CASE LIST 38 PEN ACTIONS AsiaAsia and and the Pacific the Pacific 39 OVERVIEW 41 CASE LIST 80 PEN ACTIONS EuropeEurope and andCentral Asia 81 OVERVIEW 83 CASE LIST 104 PEN ACTIONS Middle East and North Africa 107 OVERVIEW 109 CASE LIST 130 PEN ACTIONS ‘I have been receiving your letters for a while. Each letter day, I get so many letters from PEN members that I am engulfed by very beautiful feelings. I suppose in places such as these where everything is banned the strength of a single pen…is a great force. It is because they know that writing is a magical force that they are left hopeless against it. I can feel myself with you, always and perhaps this is why I never feel helpless. This is thanks to you.’ Zehra Doğan Diyarbakır E Type Prison Turkey (Freed February 2019) PEN INTERNATIONAL CASE LIST 2018 Introduction by Salil Tripathi The truth behind the numbers Numbers never tell the full story. As writers, poets, Banerjee, murdered in Afghanistan, and no justice in journalists, and publishers, we know that truth to be sight; Swathi Vadlamudi, being tried in India for a cartoon self-evident. Numbers tell us possible trends of what she did of a rape of a child; the sustained harassment has taken place. But numbers alone do not convey the of Maria Ressa in the Philippines, who is taking on the truth. Numbers do provide evidence of the existence of might of the Duterte administration; artist Zehra Doğan a phenomenon, but their absence does not mean the in Turkey, imprisoned for more than two years for her phenomenon has not occurred. Sherlock Holmes knew writings and artwork; Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee in Iran, in that when a dog doesn’t bark, it doesn’t mean a crime jail for a book on the stoning of women; Hatoon al-Fassi has not been committed. in Saudi Arabia, tortured in prison, and arrested because she has championed women’s rights; and the sustained And so it is with statistics about cases PEN investigates online trolling and harassment of women journalists and and examines, about writers at risk or in jail.