Images from left to right: Ahmed Mansoor (Bloomberg , Innocent Bahati (Family , Henry Constantin (La Hora Cuba) , Pham Doan Trang (Paul Mooney) , Vacłaŭ Areška (Family)
“Writers are targeted because words travel. A poem can cross a border its author cannot. A report can outlive the censor who tried to bury it. Every action taken in support of a prisoner and every name said out loud is an act of defiance against the silence governments are counting on”. Ma Thida, Chair of PEN International Writers in Prison Committee
15 November: Every year on the Day of the Imprisoned Writer, PEN International stands with writers who are jailed, silenced or disappeared for their words. This year, from 15 November to 10 December, we are asking you to stand with five of them: Pham Doan Trang (Vietnam), Henry Constantín Ferreiro (Cuba), Ahmed Mansoor (United Arab Emirates), Vacłaŭ Areška (Belarus) and Innocent Bahati (Rwanda).
The governments holding them are counting on silence. Let’s give them noise.
Meet the five. Then take action for our imprisoned writers.
Each action takes minutes. Together, they make it harder for governments to look away. Write a message, send an appeal, share a name, and tell us what you do and what responses you receive.
#DayoftheImprisonedWriter #PhamDoanTrang #HenryConstantín #AhmedMansoor #VacłaŭAreška #InnocentBahati
