Articles by PEN International
WiPC protests recent disappearances of writers in Iran
(WiPC/IFEX) – The following is a 11 December 1998 WiPC letter to President Khatami protesting the recent disappearances of writers in Iran: **Updates IFEX alerts of 11 December, 10 December, 9 December, 8 December, 7 December, 3 December and 27 November 1998** December 11, 1998 His Excellency Hojatoleslam val-moslemin Sayed Mohammad Khatami President of the […]
Translator Mohammad Ja’frar disappeared
(WiPC/IFEX) – Mohammad Ja’frar Pouyandeh, an essayist and translator from French, reportedly disappeared on 9 December 1998. He left his office to attend a publishers’ meeting at about 2:00 p.m. (local time) but never arrived at the meeting. His family are reported to be gravely concerned about his safety; they visited the morgue in Tehran […]
South African poet Mzwakhe Mbuli, detained for over a year, may have been framed
(WiPC/IFEX) – WiPC is expressing concerns over the motives behind the detention of poet Mzwakhe and his continued denial of bail. Mzwakhe Mbuli was arrested in October 1997 near Pretoria for participating in a bank robbery. He was immediately remanded in custody and charged with armed robbery and possession of unlicensed arms. In the following […]
Majid Sharif, translator and author, found dead after disappearing for four days
(WiPC/IFEX) – WiPC reports that Majid Sharif, aged about 45, left his home on 20 November 1998 and his family lost sight of his whereabouts. On 24 November they were summoned to identify his body in a morgue in Tehran. While it is at present unclear what occurred, there are fears that his disappearance and […]
Taslima Nasrin granted bail
(WiPC/IFEX) – On 22 November 1998, Taslima Nasrin appeared in person at the Bangladesh High Court where she was granted bail. Following her brief appearance, she returned into hiding. **Updates IFEX alerts of 7 October, 18 September, 24 February, 16 January 1998 and others** There are now two cases against Nasrin currently under judicial process. […]
International PEN status report on detained writers
(WiPC/IFEX) – The following is an International PEN press release on the occasion of the Day of the Imprisoned Writer, 15 November 1998: **New case and update to IFEX alerts as noted in text** International PEN’s Day of the Imprisoned Writer: 15 November 1998 Ethiopia Moti Biyya (pen name), Garuma Bekelle and Tesfaye Deressa Moti […]
Gallardo: five years on
(WiPC/IFEX) – On 6 November 1998, Internatiuonal PEN released the following statement on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of Mexican Officer Brigadier General Jose Francisco Gallardo’s detention: **For background to General Gallardo’s detention, see IFEX alerts of 17 March 1998, 15 August and 23 January 1997, 19 November and 15 November 1996 and 10 […]
All four “Tous” journalists now released
(WiPC/IFEX) – As reported in the last Rapid Action Network (RAN), Hamid Reza Jalaipour was released on 13 October 1998. PEN has now learned that Mashallah Shamsolva’ezin, Mohammad Javadi Hessar and Ibrahim Nabavi were also released on either 21 or 22 October. **Updates IFEX alerts of 22 October, 9 October, 8 October, 23 September, 20 […]