<p> pen IS A BENIGN AND HE Ato Meles Zenawi VITAL FORCE, DEDICATED Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia TO THE FREE EXPRESSION AND EXCHANGE OF IDEAS, Office of the Prime Minister AMONG THE WORLD P.O. Box 1031 COMMUNITY OF WRITERS. Addis Ababa IAN MCEWAN Ethiopia</p><p>6-8 AMWELL STREET E-mail: [email protected] LONDON EC1R 1UQ T 020 7713 0023 F 020 7837 7838 [DATE] E [email protected] W www.englishpen.org</p><p>Your Excellency, THE ENGLISH CENTRE OF INTERNATIONAL PEN THE WORLD ASSOCIATION OF I am a member of the English Centre of PEN, the international WRITERS association of writers, and I am writing to express my concern President over the situation of Wesenseged Gebrekidan, who was Dr Alastair Niven OBE arrested in November 2005 and convicted of “criminal Deputy President Lisa Appignanesi defamation” a month later. Director Jonathan Heawood I understand that Mr. Gebrekidan remains in prison in Addis [email protected] Ababa and faces no fewer than five further “criminal Programme Director Writers in Prison Committee defamation” charges for articles criticising the Ministry of Lucy Popescu Justice and the Ethiopian armed forces. The provisions of [email protected] Assistant Ethiopian law that allow such institutions, rather than Writers in Prison Committee individuals, to claim defamation, are clearly detrimental to both Cecilie Torjussen freedom of expression and governmental accountability. [email protected] Membership Secretary Simon Burt Furthermore, I feel strongly that custodial sentences for [email protected] defamation are completely inappropriate and I urge you to Office and Events Administrator Alice O’Hanlon remove them from the Ethiopian Penal Code. I believe that Mr. [email protected] Gebrekidan is being persecuted solely for having exercised his right to freedom of expression as guaranteed by the International Vice - Presidents Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and therefore ask that all Sybille Bedford OBE Lady Rachel Billington charges against him be dropped. William Boyd Dame A. S. Byatt CBE Margaret Drabble CBE I would welcome your comments on my appeal. Lady Antonia Fraser CBE Victoria Glendinning CBE Ronald Harwood CBE Yours sincerely Michael Holroyd CBE Francis King CBE Ben Okri OBE Harold Pinter CH CBE Josephine Pullein-Thompson MBE Salman Rushdie Sir Tom Stoppard CBE Copies to: HE Mr Ato Berhanu Kebede; The Foreign Office Claire Tomalin Raleigh Trevelyan</p><p>P.E.N. was founded in 1921 by Mrs C A Dawson-Scott pen IS A BENIGN AND VITAL FORCE, DEDICATED His Excellency TO THE FREE EXPRESSION AND EXCHANGE OF IDEAS, Mr Fisseha Adugna AMONG THE WORLD Embassy of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia COMMUNITY OF WRITERS. 17 Prince’s Gate IAN MCEWAN London SW7 1PZ 6-8 AMWELL STREET LONDON EC1R 1UQ Fax: 020 7584 7054 T 020 7713 0023 F 020 7837 7838 E [email protected] [DATE] W www.englishpen.org THE ENGLISH CENTRE OF INTERNATIONAL PEN Your Excellency, THE WORLD ASSOCIATION OF WRITERS</p><p>I am a member of the English Centre of PEN, the international President association of writers, and I would be grateful if you could forward the Dr Alastair Niven OBE following letter of appeal to His Excellency Ato Meles Zenawi. Deputy President Lisa Appignanesi</p><p>Director I would welcome your comments on my appeal. Jonathan Heawood [email protected]</p><p>Programme Director Writers in Prison Committee Yours sincerely Lucy Popescu [email protected]</p><p>Assistant Writers in Prison Committee Cecilie Torjussen [email protected]</p><p>Membership Secretary Simon Burt [email protected]</p><p>Office and Events Administrator Alice O’Hanlon [email protected]</p><p>Vice - Presidents Sybille Bedford OBE Lady Rachel Billington William Boyd Dame A. S. Byatt CBE Margaret Drabble CBE Lady Antonia Fraser CBE Victoria Glendinning CBE Ronald Harwood CBE Michael Holroyd CBE Francis King CBE Ben Okri OBE Harold Pinter CH CBE Josephine Pullein-Thompson MBE Salman Rushdie Sir Tom Stoppard CBE Claire Tomalin Raleigh Trevelyan</p><p>P.E.N. was founded in 1921 by Mrs C A Dawson-Scott</p>