(WiPC/IFEX) – The following is a summary of the panel discussion organised by the WiPC at the International PEN’s 68th International Congress in Ohrid, Macedonia, and of the resolutions passed by the Assembly of Delegates highlighting abuses of freedom of expression: International PEN Protests Abuses Against Writers During its 2002 Congress For seven days, 17-24 […]
(WiPC/IFEX) – The following is a summary of the panel discussion organised by the WiPC at the International PEN’s 68th International Congress in Ohrid, Macedonia, and of the resolutions passed by the Assembly of Delegates highlighting abuses of freedom of expression:
International PEN Protests Abuses Against Writers During its 2002 Congress
For seven days, 17-24 September 2002, over 300 writers from more than 60 countries met at International PEN’s 68th International Congress, held in Ohrid, Macedonia. The theme of the Congress, Borders of Freedom, Freedom of Borders, was particularly apt and the protection of freedom of expression was a central issue for this world association of writers. PEN’s Writers in Prison Committee held three sessions on the suppression of the right to write world wide. This included a panel discussion on the role of the writer in Challenging Oppression, where four writers with a direct experience of repression spoke:
Mike Butscher, a journalist, fiction writer, broadcaster and journalism lecturer, spoke of his detention in Sierra Leone and in Liberia, his life as an exile in London, and his return to Sierra Leone.
Anna Politkovskaia, the courageous Russian journalist whose reports from Chechnya alerted the world to Russian army abuses, at a cost to herself and her family, spoke on the continuing tragedy.
Esber Yagmurdereli, a lawyer and writer who spent many years in Turkish prisons for his condemnation of human rights abuses in Turkey, spoke movingly of how he survived prison and his continuing struggle for human rights.
Flora Brovina. Poet, doctor, writer and now M.P., Ms Brovina spent 20 months in a Serb prison for her work for an independent Kosovo.
In addition, a number of resolutions were passed by the Assembly of Delegates highlighting abuses against writers and calling for the fulfilment of international freedom of expression obligations:
Armenia
On the suppression of the media by the authorities, in opposition to their promises of democratic reform, and the decision to close the independent television channels ‘A1+’ and ‘Noyan Tapan’.
Belarus
Denouncing the heavy sentences applied against journalists in cases of defamation, referring in particular to the cases of Mikola Markevich, Pavel Mazheika and Viktar Ivashkevich, and expressing concern at the restrictive nature of the new draft law on the media.
China
Expressing alarm at the Chinese authorities’ repression of the identity of the Uighur people in the Xinjiang-Uighur Autonomous Region of China, including restrictions placed on Uighur writers, including Tohti Tunyaz Muzart. Urging the Chinese government to release writers Bai Weiji, Chen Yanbin, Gu Linna, Jiang Qisheng, Kang Yuchun, Liu Jingsheng, Qi Yanchen, Wu Shishen, Xu Wenli, Xu Zerong, Yu Dongyue and Zhang Yafei. Condemning the suppression of free speech in the Autonomous Region of Tibet.
Colombia
Calling for the authorities to take the necessary steps to ensure the right to freedom of expression by guaranteeing the lives and physical safety of journalists and writers in the light of the high levels of violence against them.
Cuba
Expressing concern for the safety and well-being of independent journalists, and urging the Cuban government to release journalists Bernardo Arévalo Padron, Léxter Téllez Castro, Carlos Brizuela Yera and Carlos Alberto Dominguez.
Ethiopia
Expressing concern at the continuing systematic persecution of independent journalists in Ethiopia, and calling for the immediate release of the journalists Tewodros Kassa and Lubaba Said and the abandonment of custodial sentences for all offences covered by press laws.
Iran
Expressing disappointment at the ongoing crackdown on the independent press in Iran, opposing the existence of laws designed to limit freedom of speech, and condemning the trials of writers and intellectuals who participated in the Heinrich Böll Institute’s Academic Conference in April 2002. Expressing outrage at the continuing detention of writers and journalists in Iran, including journalist and film critic Siamak Pourzand and translator and lawyer Nasser Zarafshan, and deploring the fact that no one has been brought to justice for the murders of at least a dozen writers since the late 1990s.
Nepal
Condemning the sharp deterioration of the situation of freedom of expression in Nepal, in light of the conflict between the Nepali government and the Communist Party of Nepal, in particular the murders and mutilations of journalists by Maoist guerrillas and the mass arrests of journalists by the Nepali government.
Russian Federation
Deploring the victimization of journalists and the opposition media by the Russian authorities, calling for the unconditional release of the Russian journalist Grigory Pasko, and condemning the decision of the Russian authorities to ignore repeated appeals from the international community to secure real guarantees for freedom of speech.
Turkey
Expressing alarm at the severe restrictions on the right to freedom of expression in Turkey, in particular the ongoing judicial harassment of writers, journalists and publishers commenting on minority rights issues.
Vietnam
Expressing deep concern at the increasing number of Vietnamese prisoners of opinion and conscience and the absence of improvement in the situation of many of those in prison, including writers Nguyên Dinh Huy, Nguyên Van Ly, Lê Dinh Nhân, Dang Phuc Tuê and Nguyên Xuân Tu. Deploring the recent brutal arrests of Lê Chi Quang, Pham Hông Son and Nguyen Vu Binh, and the placement under house arrest of, among others, Bui Minh Quôc and Trân Van Khuê.
Zimbabwe
Denouncing the arrests and judicial harassment of journalists, in particular of the editor-in-chief of the Daily News, Geoffrey Nyarota; and expressing alarm at the use of violence, the introduction of restrictive press legislation and the exorbitant financial levies placed on independent journalists in Zimbabwe in order to limit democracy and freedom of expression.
For more information and copies of the speeches and resolutions contact Sara Whyatt, Programme Direc
