One Year in Prison Without Charges: Poet Ashraf Fayadh (Palestine/Saudi Arabia)
Once again, our friends at Arabic Literature (in English) are drawing attention to the plight of yet another writer held by the authorities in Saudi Arabia. Palestinian poet and artist Ashraf Fayadh was arrested by Saudi authorities on January 1, 2014 — charged with “insulting the Godly self and having long hair” — and has yet to face...
Novelist and Poet Omar Hazek: An Open Letter After a Year in Prison
Egyptian novelist and poet Omar Hazek was jailed on December 2, 2013, charged with violating Egypt’s anti-protest law, a “crime” for which he is serving two years in prison. Yet he maintains more hope than most. We had already posted PEN International’s appeal on his behalf in April 2014. This open letter initially ran in Al-Masry al-Youm. Hazek’s...
Arab World / Arabische Welt / Freedom of Speech / Human Rights / Literatur / Literature / Meinungsfreiheit / Menschenrechte
Solidarity with Threatened Algerian Novelist Kamel Daoud
Our friends at Arabic Literature (in English) recently posted the disturbing news of a call by Algerian Salafi leader Abdelfatah Hamadache — called “un obscure salafiste” by the paper Le Matin — for the death of award-winning Algerian novelist Kamel Daoud. On December 16, Salafi leader Abdelfatah Hamadache declared a fatwa condemning the writer and journalist Kamel Daoud to death. The declaration to...
Freedom of Speech / Human Rights / International Publishers Association / Literatur / Meinungsfreiheit / Menschenrechte
International Publishers Association: Release Xu Xiao
The International Publishers Association calls on China’s government to immediately release Xu Xiao, a prominent publisher, writer and editor, who was arrested on November 26th during a crackdown on writers, journalists, publishers and civil society activists seen to be supportive of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Beijing-based publisher Xu Xiao, 2014 IPA Freedom to Publish Prize...
PEN: Call to Action for Aron Atabek (Kazakhstan)
PEN International is deeply concerned at reports that the imprisoned poet Aron Atabek – who is in ill health – has been tortured or otherwise ill-treated by prison guards. According to the poet’s son, Atabek has suffered regular beatings on the head and neck during his incarceration in Pavlodar prison. There is an absolute prohibition on...
Aron Atabek: My Throat Will Die
My Throat Will Die Aron Atabek My throat, unable to speak, will die For the sounds of my homeland. My ancestors’ patter will vanish Like water into sand. I am a storyteller of immortality In Semitic and Etruscan tongues; I am the dust of Turkic dialects Writing in Russian. Many lives’ twisted fates Are lost...
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