PEN International

The groups condemn the serious violations of human rights taking place at this critical moment in Egypt.

Commentators believe that the renewed prosecution of Pinar Selek is linked to her work as a sociologist researching Kurdish issues in the mid-to-late 1990s, and to contact with the banned Turkish Workers Party (PKK).

The remarkable events in Tunisia call for a redoubling of efforts to restore free expression rights, said the IFEX-TMG, despite the release of Boukadous.

As the crisis evolves, the 20 members of the IFEX-TMG call for country’s rulers to respect human rights, including freedom of expression.

Repeated calls for Zhang’s medical parole were turned down by the authorities until he was finally released on 5 June 2010 in critical condition, after serving nearly four years in prison.

Nasrin Sotoudeh’s sentence includes one year for “propaganda against the regime” and 10 years for “acting against national security” and “violating the Islamic dress code in a filmed speech”.

IFEX-TMG is deeply alarmed by a series of violations in the past week of the right to access information, free expression and movement, as well as a blatant assault on a journalist.

Vladimir Neklyaev was kidnapped from the hospital where he was taken after being beaten by security agents during post-election protests; his whereabouts are unknown.