Day of the Imprisoned Writer

Coming Up: Day of the Imprisoned Writer
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information contact: Anna Kushner, (212) 334-1660, ext. 106

New York, NY, November 10, 2008—In the past year, the Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of International PEN has monitored the cases of more than 1,000 writers and journalists in 90 countries, 200 of whom are serving long prison sentences, and the rest of whom have been detained, summoned to court, threatened, harassed or attacked. Tragically, since November 15, 2007, 31 writers have been killed, many clearly for practicing their professions, others in murkier circumstances. Every year on November 15, PEN marks the Day of the Imprisoned Writer to honor the courage of all writers who stand up against repression and defend the principle of freedom of expression and the right to information. On this Day of the Imprisoned Writer, PEN is focusing on five cases—one from each world region and each illustrating the type of repression that is brought to bear every day against those who question, challenge or expose official lies or who paint portraits of everyday lives through their writings. PEN invites its members and friends around the world to send appeals on their behalf. a list of journalists killed since last year's Day of the Imprisoned Writer INTERNATIONAL PEN
WRITERS IN PRISON COMMITTEE
DAY OF THE IMPRISONED WRITER

15 NOVEMBER 2008

Writers and Journalists Killed Since Day of Imprisoned Writer
15 November 2007

International PEN has recorded the killings of 31 writers and print journalists during the 12 months since the last Day of the Imprisoned Writer 15 November 2007. They were either directly targeted for their writings, or where it is thought that this was the reason behind their deaths. In few, if any, cases have the persons who carried out the murders been brought to justice. Mexico, Iraq and Pakistan, as in recent years, remain the countries where to be a writer or journalist is a dangerous profession.
2007
23 November Pakistan Zubair Ahmed Mujahid Journalist
8 December Mexico Gerardo Israel Garcia Pimentel Journalist
2008
12 January Nepal Pushkar Bahadur Shrestha Journalist
23 January Guatemala Hugo Arce Barrillas Journalist
28 January Somalia Hassan Kafi Hared Internet
21 March Russia Ilyas Shurpayev Journalist
5 February Mexico Francisco Ortiz Monroy Journalist
7 February Mexico Bonifacio Cruz Santiago Journalist
7 February Mexico Alfonso Cruz Cruz Journalist
12 February Iraq Hisham Mijawet Hamdan Journalist
23 February Iraq Shihab Al-Tamimi Journalist
24 February Ecuador Carlos Navarrete Journalist
1 April India Md Muslimuddin Journalist
7 April Philippines Benefredo Acabal Journalist
8 April Bulgaria Georgi Stoev Writer
14 April Pakistan Khadim Hussain Sheikh Journalist
4 May Iraq Sirwa Abdel Wahab (fem) Journalist
10 May Guatemala Jorge Merida Pérez Journalist
21 May Iraq Haidar Hashim Al-Husseini Journalist
2 June Venezuela Pierre Fould Gerges Journalist
7 June Somalia Nasteh Dahir Farah Journalist
23 June Mexico Candelario Pérez Pérez Journalist
1 July Philippines Robert ‘Bert’ Sison Journalist
11 July Cambodia Khim Sambo Journalist
22 July Iraq Soran Mama Hama Journalist
1 August Thailand Athiwat Chaiyanurat Journalist
11 August Pakistan Mohammad Azim Leghari Journalist
25/26 July Mexico Miguel Ángel Gutiérrez Ávila Author
17 August Nigeria Paul Abayomi Ogundeji Journalist
29 August Pakistan Abdul Aziz Shaheen Journalist
30 August Russia Magomed Yevloyev Journalist


Africa: Somalia – 2; Nigeria – 1 Total: 3
Americas: Mexico – 5; Guatemala – 2; Ecuador –1; Venezuela –1 Total: 9
Asia/Pacific: Pakistan – 4; Philippines –2; Nepal –1; India –1; Cambodia –1
Thailand- 1 Total: 10
Europe: Russia – 2; Bulgaria –1 Total: 3
Middle East: Iraq – 5 Total: 5

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China: Tsering Woeser
Professional Background Award-winning Tibetan writer and poet Woeser was born in 1966 in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, where her father was a soldier in the People’s Liberation Army. As a child of the Cultural Revolution, she was raised and educated entirely in the Chinese language, and never learned to read or write in her native Tibetan. Ironically, it is this that has enabled her to be such an influential voice, and she is said to be the first Tibetan to have played the role of public intellectual in China in the sense of using modern media. She writes to both a Han (Chinese) and a Tibetan audience, and her writings are said to give public expression for the first time to the emotions and experiences of a people and a culture previously hidden from the mainstream.Woeser studied Chinese literature at the Southwest Nationalities College in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, and began her professional career as a reporter for the Ganzi (Tibetan: Kardze) Daily newspaper in the Tibetan province of Kham, (present-day Sichuan Province). In March 1990, she became editor of the Lhasa-based Chinese-language literary journal Tibetan Literature. This was the start of her political awakening. She began writing poetry, and read translations of foreign books smuggled into Tibet critical of the Chinese government. Woeser’s first book, a collection of poems entitled Xizang Zai Shang (Tibet Above), was published in 1999. She soon became a highly acclaimed and prolific writer in Chinese. Through her education, journalistic training and literary expertise, Woeser became a member Tibet’s “Chinese Writers’ Group,” a small literary elite of Tibetans writing in the Chinese language.
Current Status Woeser was effectively barred by Chinese authorities from leaving China for Oslo to accept the Norwegian Author’s Union’s 2007 Freedom of Expression Prize, given at their annual meeting on March 8, 2008. On March 10, after demonstrations began in Lhasa and eventually swept through Tibet, she was placed under house arrest in Beijing. She continued to post entries to her blog until it was hacked, at which time she began writing reports for Boxun.com.
On May 27, Woeser's Gmail and Skype accounts were hijacked, and her blog was once again attacked. A group called the Chinese Hongke Alliance, a well-known network of nationalistic Chinese hackers, has claimed responsibility for the attack. The group replaced content with a Chinese flag and a message advocating violence against Woeser.On August 21, Woeser was detained by police in Lhasa, where she had gone to visit family during the Olympics, and held for eight hours. She was accused of photographing the army and police presence there, which has been heavy since March. Woser was forced to leave her mother’s home and return to Beijing on August 23. She is still facing restrictions on her movements.
Case HistoryWoeser’s troubles began with her second book Xizang Biji (Notes on Tibet), a collection of short stories and prose published in Guanzhou in January 2003. The book was a best-seller in China, and was banned in September of that year for revealing opinions “harmful to the unification and solidarity of our nation.” In June 2004 she was dismissed from her position at the Tibet Autonomous Region Literature Association, and left Lhasa for Beijing in order to “follow her conscience as a writer.” She continues to write from a small Beijing apartment where she lives with her husband, writer Wang Lixiong, posting poetry and essays on Tibetan culture and the political situation on the Internet and publishing her books in Taiwan. In mainland China her books are banned, her two blogs have been shut down, she is unemployed and her movements are sometimes restricted. Yet she has become widely known as one of China’s most respected writers on Tibet.

Tsering Woeser: Sample Appeal
Please write a polite letter, or copy the one below, on your personal or institutional letterhead and mail to President Hu Jintao. Please copy appeals to the diplomatic representative for China in your country if possible.
[Date]

His Excellency Hu JintaoPresident of the People’s Republic of ChinaState Council Beijing 100032 P.R. China

Your Excellency,

I am writing to protest the restrictions imposed on Tibetan dissident writer and poet Tsering Woeser. I understand that Woeser has suffered repeated and sustained harassment since 2003, including brief detentions, periods of house arrest, travel restrictions, loss of work, denial of access to information and communications, heavy surveillance and censorship.I respectfully urge you to ensure that Tsering Woeser is allowed to live and work freely without fear of attack, in accordance with Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which China is a signatory. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,[Your name and address]

Iran: Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand
Professional BackgroundMohammad Sadiq Kabudvand is a Kurdish journalist, activist, and editor of the banned weekly Payam-e mardom-e Kurdestan (Kurdistan People’s Message), who was sentenced to 11 years in prison on charges of “acting against national security.” Current StatusAt a closed trial on June 22, 2008, Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand was sentenced to 11 years in prison by the Tehran Revolutionary Court on charges of “acting against national security” for forming the Tehran-based Kurdish Human Rights Organization (RMMK). He is suffering from a number of medical conditions, including high blood pressure and kidney disease, and his health has reportedly deteriorated as a result of ill-treatment in Evin prison, where he is currently detained. On May 19, 2008, Kabudvand reportedly suffered a stroke in prison and has been denied access to adequate medical care.Case HistoryKabudvand was arrested on July 1, 2007 at his place of work in Tehran by plain-clothes security officers. Following his arrest, he was initially taken to his house in Tehran, where security officers confiscated three computers, books, photographs and personal documents before taking him away to the Intelligence Ministry’s Section 209 of Evin Prison. He spent the first five months in solitary confinement, and his family was unable to raise the bail that could have enabled him to be freed pending trial, which began on May 25, 2008.This is not the first time Kabudvand has been targeted by the authorities for his critical writings and activism. The weekly newspaper that he edited, Payam-e mardom-e Kurdestan, published in Kurdish and Farsi, was banned on June 27, 2004, after only 13 issues, for “disseminating separatist ideas and publishing false reports.” On August 18, 2005, a Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj convicted Kabudvand of “disseminating tribal issues and publishing provocative articles” and “spreading lies with the intention of upsetting public opinion,” and handed him a suspended prison sentence of 18 months as well as a five-year ban on working as a journalist. Kabudvand has reportedly written two books on democracy and a third on the women’s movement in Iran, which were not given publishing licences.


Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand: Sample Appeal
Please write a polite letter, or copy the one below, on your personal or institutional letterhead and mail to Iranian authorities. Please copy appeals to the diplomatic representative for Iran in your country if possible.

[Date]

His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei The Office of the Supreme Leader Shoahada Street, QomIslamic Republic of Iran

Email: info@leader.ir or istiftaa@wilayah.org

His Excellency Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi Head of the JudiciaryMinistry of Justice, Park-e ShahrTehranIslamic Republic of Iran Your Excellencies,

I am writing to writing to protest the sentence given to Kurdish editor Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand. I understand that on June 22, 2008, Mr. Kabudvand was sentenced at a closed trial to 11 years in prison by the Tehran Revolutionary Court on charges of “acting against national security” for forming a human rights organization in Iran’s Kurdish region.I believe Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand to be detained for his critical writings, in violation of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a signatory, and therefore call for his immediate and unconditional release.Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

[Your name and address]

Cc: H.E. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad The PresidencyPalestine Avenue Azerbeijan IntersectionTehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

Fax: +98 21 6 674 790Email: dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir

Peru: Melissa Rocío Patiño Hinostroza
Professional BackgroundMelissa Rocío Patiño Hinostroza is a 20-year-old poet and university student on trial for terrorism. She is member of the “Círculo del sur” (Southern Circle) poetry group in Lima and runs a poetry radio program and other cultural activities with young people.Current StatusMelissa Rocío Patiño Hinostroza is on trial for terrorism, based on her alleged involvement with a left wing political organization, Bolivarian Continental Coordinator (Coordinadora Continental Boliviariana, or CCB), which the Peruvian authorities claim is linked to terrorist groups. Patiño denies any political affiliations and to date no concrete evidence has been produced to back up the charges. She was conditionally released on bail on May 8, 2008, after two and a half months’ incarceration; however, Peru’s antiterrorist prosecutor, Julio Galindo, has appealed against the decision to release her. The trial is in its preliminary stages. Patiño potentially faces 20 years in prison if convicted.Case HistoryPatiño was arrested along with six other individuals in Tumbes, a small town on the border with Ecuador, on February 29, 2008. The seven were returning by bus from Quito, where they had attended the second congress of the CCB from February 24 to 28, which was reportedly held with the knowledge and consent of the Ecuadorian authorities. They were subsequently charged with “affiliation and collaboration with terrorism,” apparently on the basis of their attendance at the CCB meeting. Initially detained in Tumbes, Patiño was transferred to Santa Monica maximum security prison in Chorrillos, Lima, on March 15, where she was held until May 8, when she was allowed to return home. She was reportedly not provided with access to medical assistance during her detention. The government alleges that the Peruvian chapter of CCB has links with the Peruvian Marxist rebel group Movimiento Revolucionario Túpac Amaru (MRTA) and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group in Colombia. It also reportedly accused CCB members of planning to sabotage the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings scheduled to be held in Peru in 2008. Two of the six individuals who were detained along with Patiño are reportedly former MRTA members. However, Patiño’s presence on the same bus appears to have been purely circumstantial. She denies that she belongs to or has ever had any involvement in any political groups. Patiño reportedly attended the CCB congress after a colleague at the radio station where she works passed the invitation on to her as he could not attend, and her main motivation for attending was the opportunity to travel to Ecuador. According to her lawyer, the accusations of terrorism against Patiño have also been made on the basis of her participation in a march at the end of conference when she reportedly partially covered her face and shouted anti-imperialist and pro-socialism slogans, and has been linked to graffiti criticizing Alan García, the Peruvian president. None of these activities can be said to amount to terrorist activities.



Melissa Rocío Patiño Hinostroza: Sample Appeal
Please write a polite letter, or copy the one below, on your personal or institutional letterhead and mail to

Ministra de Justicia Rosario Fernandez Figueroa. Please copy appeals to the diplomatic representative for Peru in your country if possible.

[Date] Dra. Rosario Fernández FigueroaMinistra de Justicia Ministerio de JusticiaScipión LLona N° 350, MirafloresLima, Peru Fax: + 51 1422 3577 Email: informate@minjus.gob.pe

Your Excellency,

I am writing to express my grave concern regarding the trial of 20-year-old poet Melissa Rocío Patiño Hinostroza. I understand that Ms. Patiño was charged with “affiliation and collaboration with terrorism” following her arrest on February 29, 2008, upon her return from the second congress of the Bolivarian Continental Coordinator (CCB). To date no concrete evidence has been produced to back up the charges. If convicted, she could face up to 20 years in prison.I respectfully urge you to provide evidence to back up the charges of terrorism against Melissa Rocío Patiño Hinostroza in a free and fair trial. Should the prosecution fail to produce compelling evidence, I ask that all charges against her be dropped.Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

Sincerely,

[Your name and address]

The following were written by Melissa Rocío Patiño Hinostroza during her imprisonment in March 2008.
Día 4 Mi nueva vida me ha llevado a latir en forma de embrión o de mundo. Tengo una interconexión con el embrión de cada ser humano. Vi todos los corazones de los embriones. Los sentí latir al ritmo de mi método y he tenido que entrar en crisis porque no supe que más hacer. Mi nueva vida me dio su hombro robusto y me mostró su torso flácido. Me consoló al mostrarme su rostro y en él mas corazones inflamados y en ellos miles de rostros sudorosos, disparejos. Y en ellos el mío tan distinto a mi anterior vida recostado en el hombro de la nueva. Mi nueva vida me ha sentado frente a ella, me ha nombrado con decoros guardiana del latir. ¿Me lo merezco? ¿Cómo mi minúsculo latir puede latirse para cuidar a otros? Cuidar el ritmo del latir y su espectáculo de apasionamiento. Cuidar la regularidad del latir y los cardiacos sentimientos de culpa. ¿Quién es culpable? “ama a los otros como a ti misma”. Cerré los ojos y vi al mundo como un embrión apunto de abortar.

Día 5 Siempre es una sorpresa los cambios a los que me conduce mi nueva vida. Siempre tan coqueta como una muchacha de veinte años que es culpable de cuidar el latir. Siempre tan sabia como una muchacha de veinte días de encierro corriendo para no creerse nada.Mi nueva vida me prepara algo grande, lo sé. Me pretende liberar de los temores y de los sabios consejos de las paredes. Me recuerda mi amnesia obligatoria para la sumisión. Mi nueva vida me ha envejecido rápidamente porque me ha cansado. ¿Luego del día cinco podré descansar?No puedo sentirme apenada al lado de mi nueva vida, aunque sigo entrando en crisis, las lágrimas están para desinflamar mis mejillas.Hoy mi novísima vida ha encargado desfallecimiento con una melodía que ha besado mi frente y se ha acostado conmigo a contar latidos. Esta nocturnidad revisaré algunos corazones antes de dormir.

Día 6Hoy he despertado con el rostro iluminado de polvo. Es un día que promete aire inédito. Mi nueva vida quitó las sábanas de un tirón, me sacudió la cara y me tocó el cuerpo para ejercitarlo. Fue corriendo a traer el desayuno que ordenó en la recepción de la prisión; café, jugo de papaya y huevos revueltos.Iremos a visitar a tu padre, me ha dicho, y mis ojos se han roto; hace mucho que no sé como ubicarlo. Hace mucho que mi padre se olvidó de mis ojos –ahora rotos y sucios-¿cómo es que lo encontraremos? El está esperándonos. Hoy es día de visita. Melissa Rocío Patiño Hinostroza, March 2008

Zimbabwe: Writers, Cast and Crew of The Crocodile of Zambezi
Professional BackgroundThe cast and crew of the satirical play The Crocodile of Zambezi have been under threat since May 2008, when two members of the company were attacked and the play was banned by authorities in Bulawayo. Production manager Lionel Nkosi was reportedly tortured and threatened with death, and actor Aleck Zulu was beaten by police.Current StatusOn the afternoon of May 29, 2008, police officers came to City Hall in Bulawayo, where rehearsals were taking place for the second performance of The Crocodile of Zambezi. Lionel Nkosi and Aleck Zulu were taken to the central police station and told the play could not continue. The police reportedly stated that they had been told to “censor or stop any suspicious performances.” Nkosi and Zulu agreed to stop the show, returned to City Hall and packed up. When Nkosi and Zulu were about to leave, they were stopped by four men in a car parked outside, unmarked and without registration plates, who asked Nkosi to get in. He was driven to an isolated location, where the men questioned him about the play and its backers, accusing it of ridiculing President Mugabe. According to Nkosi, the men threatened to kill him, then placed a sack over his head and beat him severely, at one point shoving a gun into his mouth. The attack left him covered in blood and with a fractured ankle, bruised ribs and gums and a loose tooth. According to some reports, Nkosi’s assailants were members of the secret service. These attacks were part of a generalized crackdown on freedom of expression and other rights in Zimbabwe prior to the presidential election run-off on June 27. Another satirical play about Zimbabwe’s political situation was also banned in Harare in May, and there have been numerous attacks on the press. Violence against those perceived to be associated with the political opposition remains widespread in the wake of the elections and amid discussions on a power-sharing deal, and writers and journalists are among those still at risk. Case HistoryThe Crocodile of Zambezi, set in a fictional country along the Zambezi River, is a satire on the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe and is the result of a two-year collaboration between playwrights Raisedon Baya and Chrisopher Mlalazi. The play’s central character is the aging leader of the country who is facing personal and political crises. The play opened on May 28, 2008, despite the fact that newspaper advertisements the company had paid for were not published. The play was reportedly well received, but due to the ban it closed after only one performance. Another satirical play about Zimbabwe’s political situation, Sahwira (Spirit of Friendship) by Elton Mjanana, which was being staged in Harare, was also banned in May. This play, which is based on Zimbabwe’s controversial land reform movement, features graphic scenes of torture and killings. The reason given for the banning was that the police had not been given advance notice. In 2007, the police reportedly banned a number of plays on the grounds that they were in violation of the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) and the Censorship and Control of Entertainment Act, including Baya’s Everyday Solider and The Good President by Cont Mhlanga.



The Crocodile of Zambezi: Sample Appeal
Please write a polite letter, or copy the one below, on your personal or institutional letterhead and mail to Minister of Education, Sports and Culture Mr. Cde Aeneas Chigwedere. Please copy appeals to the diplomatic representative for Zimbabwe in your country if possible.

[Date] Mr. Cde Aeneas ChigwedereMinistry of Education, Sports and Culture Head Office, Union Avenue P. O. Box CY 121Causeway, Harare, Zimbabwe Fax: +263 4 734 075

Your Excellency,

I am writing to protest the banning of the satirical play The Crocodile of Zambezi, and attacks against its cast and crew. I understand that on May 29, 2008, after the play was banned by authorities, production manager Lionel Nkosi was severely beaten and threatened at an isolated location, reportedly by members of the secret service. Actor Aleck Zulu was subsequently beaten by the police.I am deeply concerned for the ongoing safety of the playwrights and all others associated with critical plays in Zimbabwe, such as The Crocodile of Zambezi, and call on the authorities to respect their right to freedom of expression, as guaranteed by Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Zimbabwe is a signatory, and to cease all attacks against them.Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely,

[Your name and address]

Raisedon Baya and Chrisopher Mlalazi: The Crocodile of Zambezi
The following is an excerpt from the opening scenes of The Crocodile of Zambezi, by Raisedon Baya and Chrisopher Mlalazi.

2008 “The year of fear”

SCENE IA prison. Outside his cell a man can be seen walking about. His name is I. He picks a jerry can, gets some water and waters a pot plant. A prison guard can be seen keeping guard outside. He is heavily armed. The guard walks with a limp. His face is unfriendly. The prisoner and guard don’t look at each other though they are very much aware of each other’s presence. A cock crows from a distance. Once. Twice. A new day has begun. A siren wails from within the complex. The man coughs. The cough is severe. He spits. The guard also spits, away from the prisoner. I looks old, exhausted and worn out. He sits down. Another bout of coughing attacks him. I: Prison is a form of sanction Against flesh and the soul It is not a place to seek truth But a place to die a thousands deaths It is not a place to be born in Certainly not a place to dream about. I’ve been here since independence Prison garb and shaven head Four cracking walls and a cold floor My name a mere number Purposeless tasks my daily routine Made lonelier by rules against singing and talking I am here I have been here I will always be here Because my name is Conscience And will not allow or watch My people’s honor and dignity Kicked and trampled. My name is Conscience.[….]

SCENE 2A railway station platform. The train is parked on the platform. There is commotion. Ribbons of different colours and placards with "Happy Birthday His Excellency" decorate the platform. The place is dimly lit. A police man in full uniform, baton stick in hand, gun visible in its holster, handcuffs dangling from his belt, paces about, inspecting the platform. The train whistles, once and then twice. It is ready to go. I, now in white clothes appears running. He looks exhausted. His pot plant is still held in his hand. [I is refused entry to the Crocodile’s birthday train. A POET then tries to gain entry; the GUARD also bars his way.]GUARD 2: (chuckling) I'm sorry but the list says in big bold black letters: NO POETS, NO WRITERS, NO STORY TELLERS, NO JOURNALISTS WORKING FOR THE FOREIGN MEDIA, NO GAYS OR LESBIANS, AND NO MEMBERS OF THE OPPOSITION OR REPRESENTATIVES OF CIVIC GROUPS MEDDLING IN POLITICS. I think that’s clear enough.POET: But why bar artists? GUARD 2: They are big mouths for one, and shameless.
Source: PEN American center http://www.pen.org/