Banned Books Week
During Banned Books Week, Amnesty International directs attention to the plight of individuals who are persecuted because of the writings that they produce, circulate or read. Traditionally, Banned Books Week activities take place at the end of September -- but the featured cases are not confined to a week. They continue to need your action.
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| CHINA |
| Liu Xiaobo writer in prison |
Scholar and activist Liu Xiaobo, 54, was formally arrested on 23 June 2009 for "inciting subversion of state power". He had been held under "residential surveillance" since 8 December 2008, without due process or access to a lawyer.
» Download casesheet (PDF)
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| EGYPT |
| Musaad Abu Fagr novelist in prison |
Musaad Abu Fagr (Musaad Suliman Hassan Hussein), a novelist, human rights activist, and founderof the Sinai-based movement Wedna Na'ish (We Want to Live), is detained without charge or trial despite repeated court orders for his release. Amnesty International considers him to be a prisoner of conscience.
» Download casesheet (PDF)
© DW
| IRAN |
| Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand imprisoned journalist |
Journalist & human rights defender Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand, founder & chair of the Human Rights Organization of Kurdistan, has been detained since his arrest on 1 July 2007, accused of "acting against state security", "propaganda against the system", and "cooperating with groups opposed to the system". Amnesty International is concerned that he is being held solely for the peaceful expression of his ideas.
» Download casesheet (PDF)
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| MEXICO |
| Lydia Cacho Ribeiro journalist threatened |
Amnesty International is urging improved protection for human rights activist & journalist Lydia Cacho Ribeiro. Her home and offices in Cancún have been photographed and watched by armed men frequently, while her life has been threatened in online messages. She has been harassed, threatened and detained by police over the years for her work exposing child pornography & prostitution. Lydia Cacho was the 2007 winner of AIUSA's Ginetta Sagan Award for defenders of women's and children's rights.
» Download casesheet (PDF)
© Pradeep Dilrukshana
| SRI LANKA |
| Vettivel Jasikaran writer & publisher detained |
Vettivel Jasikaran, writer, publisher, and manager of the news website OutreachSL, and Valarmathi Jasikaran, his wife, have been arbitrarily detained by the Sri Lankan Police since March 2008, allegedly for "terrorist related activities" vaguely defined offenses that can be invoked under Emergency Regulations issued by the President to silence critical journalists and generally suppress freedom of expression in Sri Lanka.
UPDATE: Good news! Vettivel Jasikaran and Valarmathi Jasikaran have been acquitted! » Download Results (PDF)
| YEMEN | ||
| Hussein al-'Agil lecturer & writer | & | Salah Ahmed Yahya al-Shagladi editor |
Salah Ahmed Yahya al-Shagladi, chief editor of Aden Gulf Network news, and Hussein al-'Agil, lecturer at Aden University, are being held incommunicado, putting them at risk of torture & other ill-treatment. According to sources in Yemen, as of 24 June 2009, Salah Ahmed Yahya al-Shagladi is held at the Political Security Prison in the capital, Sana'a, while Hussein al-'Agil is detained at the Criminal Investigation Unit, also in Sana'a. They appear to be prisoners of conscience, detained solely for the peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression.
» Download casesheet (PDF)
