http://www.englishpen.org/rss/ Copyright: (C) English Pen English Pen RSS feed from http://www.englishpen.org/ Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:58:41 GMT English PEN is shocked by news that our Honorary Member Uzbek editor Muhammad Bekjanov , held since 1999 on charges widely believed to have been fabricated and whose sentence was due to expire in just a few days, has been served with an additional five year sentence. We urge all... http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/uzbekistaneditormuhammadbekjanovtoserveanadditionalfiveyearinprison/ http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/uzbekistaneditormuhammadbekjanovtoserveanadditionalfiveyearinprison/ Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT English PEN is outraged at the draconian sentences handed down to Ethiopian journalists Reeyot Alemu , Woubshet Taye and Elias Kifle. Alemu and Taye have been sentenced to 14 years in prison; Kifle, who is currently in exile in the US, was tried in absentia and has been sentenced... http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/ethiopiatwojournalistsgiven14yearsinprisononesentencedtolife/ http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/ethiopiatwojournalistsgiven14yearsinprisononesentencedtolife/ Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT Last week, the forced removal of Lydia Besong and her husband Bernard Batey was stopped less than 24 hours before their flight, after a concerted campaign in their support. Yesterday, 25 January, the couple were released from the immigration removal centres in which they were being held and have now... http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/ukplaywrightlydiabesongreleasedfromdetention/ http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/ukplaywrightlydiabesongreleasedfromdetention/ Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT A series of actions commemorating writers and journalists killed or disappeared in recent years as part of PEN International's focus on Killings with Impunity in 2012 Two years ago, on 24 January 2010, Prageeth Ekanaliyagoda was abducted and has not been heard from since. No thorough and credible investigation into... http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/srilankaprageethekanaliyagodamissingfortwoyearsstillnonews/ http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/srilankaprageethekanaliyagodamissingfortwoyearsstillnonews/ Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT English PEN condemns the imprisonment of the writer Zhu Yufu, who has been charged with 'subversion' for a poem he had written and posted online. (The full text of the poem is available in translation here. We urge PEN members to send letters of appeal to the authorities calling... http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/chinazhuyufuchargedwithsubversionforapoem/ http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/chinazhuyufuchargedwithsubversionforapoem/ Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT PEN International and the PEN Club de México present 'PEN Protesta In Support of Journalists and Freedom of Expression' - a public demonstration of solidarity and a demand for accountability for the murders and disappearances of journalists - on Sunday 29 January in Mexico City. Representatives from PEN International, all... http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/penprotestawriterstogatheratmexicocityeventtodenounceviolenceagainstjournalists/ http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/penprotestawriterstogatheratmexicocityeventtodenounceviolenceagainstjournalists/ Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT On 13 January 2012, French-Vietnamese university teacher and Internet writer Pham Minh Hoang was released from prison. Pham (pen name Phan Kien Quoc) had been arrested in August 2010 and was convicted a year later for his critical online writings. He was found guilty of 'activities aimed at overthrowing the... http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/vietnaminternetwriterreleased/ http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/vietnaminternetwriterreleased/ Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT English PEN protests the extended detention and ill-treatment of the writer and political activist Enoh Meyomesse by the Cameroonian authorities. Meyomesse has been in detention since his arrest on 22 November 2011, and is charged with robbery and 'attempting a coup.' There have been worrying allegations that the evidence against... http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/cameroonwriterdetainedfacesupto50yearsinprison/ http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/cameroonwriterdetainedfacesupto50yearsinprison/ Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT English PEN protests against the failure of the Indian authorities to offer adequate protection to the author Salman Rushdie, who is apparently facing pressure to withdraw from the Jaipur Literature Festival in the wake of extremist threats. http://www.englishpen.org/news/_1710/ http://www.englishpen.org/news/_1710/ Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT A letter expressing support for Lydia Besong has been sent to Home Secretary Theresa May signed by more than 30 leading writers and actors, including Monica Ali, Sir Alan Ayckbourn, Joan Bakewell, Nick Hornby, Helena Kennedy, Caitlin Moran, Michael Morpurgo and Juliet Stevenson. (Full text of the letter below.) Lydia... http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/openlettertothehomesecretary/ http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/openlettertothehomesecretary/ Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT Poet and journalist for Democratic Voice of Burma U Zeya was arrested at his home in Rangoon on 16 April 2010, shortly after his son Sithu Zeya had been arrested for taking photos of the water festival bombings in Rangoon. Sithu had reportedly confessed to his father being a DVB... http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/myson...youhavebecomeagrownup-uzeya/ http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/myson...youhavebecomeagrownup-uzeya/ Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT Journalist and poet Zaw Thet Htwe was arrested in June 2008, whilst visiting his sick mother in the town of Minbu, central Burma. His computer, mobile phone, and personal documents were confiscated, and no details were given to his family about the reason for his arrest or his place of... http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/32-apoembyzawthethtwe/ http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/32-apoembyzawthethtwe/ Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT English PEN warmly welcomes the release of several of our Burmese colleagues who were among 651 prisoners to be freed as part of a presidential amnesty announced today, 13 January 2012. However, we remain concerned for several others who are believed to remain behind bars, and continue to call for... http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/burmapenhailsthereleaseofburmassilencedpoets/ http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/burmapenhailsthereleaseofburmassilencedpoets/ Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT English PEN are deeply concerned by the detention of Cameroonian playwright Lydia Besong and her husband, human rights defender Bernard Batey here in the UK. According to reports, both Lydia and Bernard were detained yesterday, 10 January 2011, despite the fact that they and their lawyers were still awaiting a... http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/ukcameroonianplaywrightdetainedinyarlswood/ http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/ukcameroonianplaywrightdetainedinyarlswood/ Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT English PEN is appalled by the killing of Raúl Régulo Garza Quirino , reporter for the weekly newspaper La Ultima Palabra. The journalist was gunned down on 6 January 2012 by a gang in Cadereyta, state of Nuevo León, and is the first journalist in Mexico to be murdered... http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/mexicoreportershotdeadinnuevolen/ http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/mexicoreportershotdeadinnuevolen/ Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT