Authors’ association PEN demands release of imprisoned writers

Admin I Wednesday, Nov.15, 2023

 

BERLIN – The authors’ association PEN Centre Germany and more than 140 other branches of the organization worldwide are called for the immediate release of imprisoned writers on Wednesday.

The association cited imprisoned writers, including Iryna Danylovych in Ukraine, Go Sherab Gyatso in China, Soulaiman Raissouni in Morocco and María Cristina Garrido Rodríguez in Cuba as concrete examples.

They were threatened, persecuted and imprisoned because of their work and their commitment to freedom of speech, the PEN Centre Germany said. “The cases of these four courageous people show how important freedom of the word is and how catastrophic it is in many parts of the world”, said the centre.

The so-called Day of the Imprisoned Writer on November 15 was established in 1960 by the Writers in Prison Committee of PEN International.

PEN stands for Poets, Essayists, Novelists. The international association was founded in London in 1921 and is now active in 100 countries. The umbrella organization is dedicated to protecting the “unhindered exchange of ideas” and safeguarding freedom of expression.

There are now two branches of the writers’ association in Germany. PEN Berlin was founded in 2022 following a dispute over the leadership style of the PEN Centre Germany.