During the month of September, in conjunction with National Banned Books Week (Sept 22-28), Amnesty International USA will spotlight 13 cases highlighting individuals or communities whose human rights are under attack because of their work as authors, journalists, bloggers, filmmakers, poets, novelists, photojournalists, publishers, academics, musicians, and librarians.
Themes & cases
Social Media Contributors
- Manahel al-Ataibi, Saudi Arabia
- Kamile Wayit, China
- Ana da SIlva Miguel, Angola
Librarians, Scholars, and Educators
- Unite Against Book Bans, USA
- Etienne Fakaba Sissoko, Mali
- BK-16, India
Journalists & Media Workers
- Alberto Amaro Jordan, Mexico
- Maria Ponomarenko, Russia
- Nidal al-Waheidi & Haitham Abdelwahed, IOPT
Amnesty International calls attention to human rights violations perpetrated against graffiti and protest artists.
Pierina Nochetti
Graffiti Artist facing 4 Years in Prison
Argentina
Pierina Nochetti, Argentina, is facing up to 4 years in prison (as of March 6) and facing criminal charges of “aggravated damage” for painting graffiti in a protest questioning the disappearance of a young trans man.
Released!
Aleksandra Skochilenko
Protest Artist sentenced to 7 Years in Prison
Russia
Alexandra / Aleksandra (Sasha) Skochilenko, Russia, replaced price tags in a local supermarket with small anti-war labels. She was been sentenced to 7 years in prison as a prisoner of conscience. But on August 1, 2024, Alexksandra was released from prison as part of a prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia.
Amnesty International calls attention to cultural art groups and individuals that provide perspective through music, film and other artistic creations.
Chen Pinlin
Documentary Filmmaker facing 5 Years in Prison
China
Chen Pinlin is the director of the documentary ‘Urumqi Middle Road’ (乌鲁木齐中路), which captures scenes from the nationwide “White Paper Movement,” a series of peaceful protests against three years of rolling lockdowns under China’s zero-COVID policy and the harsh environment of censorship and surveillance in China. Chen uploaded the documentary to the Internet around the one-year anniversary of the White Paper Movement. He was arrested on January 5, 2024, and is being held in the Baoshan Detention Centre in Shanghai on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” Chen may face five years in prison if convicted.
BK16
16 Artists, Academics, and Writers detained for Human Rights and CIvil Rights work for Marginalized Communities
India
Human Rights defenders collectively known as the BK16 have used their professional and creative voices to advocate for human and civil rights, against the caste system, and for cultural, religious, and linguistic pluralism. According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, they have been detained for their human rights and civil rights work for marginalized religious communities. Artists swept up in the BK16 arrests include: Varavara Roa, poet; Arun Ferreira, cartoonist; Sudhir Dhawale, publisher and actor; and members of the Kabir Kala Manch cultural group: Ramesh Gaichor, Sagar Gorkhe, and Jyoti Jagtap.
Toomaj Salehi
Iran
Rapper and hip hop artist Toomaj Salehi was arrested in October 2022 solely in relation to his participation in protests during the “Women Life Freedom” uprising and his criticism of the Iranian authorities’ human rights violations and executions and calling for human rights and freedom for the people of Iran. He was sentenced to death after being convicted of “corruption on earth.” His trial was grossly unfair, and authorities dismissed his complaints of torture, including electric shocks, death threats and repeated beatings resulting in bone fractures and vision impairment in one eye.
In June 2024, Iran’s Supreme Court overturned the conviction and death sentence. However, Toomaj remains in Esfahan Central Prison and is facing a suite of spurious new charges including “spreading propaganda against the system,” “insulting religious sanctities,” and “spreading lies with the intention of disturbing public opinion,” which could result in the imposition of a long prison sentence.
Amnesty International calls attention to individuals who expressed their opinions via social media and have been condemned by authorities who use their power to censor uncomfortable information and determine what is true or false, offensive, dangerous, or seditious in ways that enable them to target dissenting and critical voices.
Manahel al-Ataibi
Fitness Instructor & Social Media Influencer sentenced to 11 Years in Prison
Saudi Arabia
Manahel al-Otaibi, Saudi Arabia, is a 29-year-old fitness instructor sentenced to 11 years in prison in connection with her social media posts. She was charged with violating the Anti-Cyber Crime Law due to her tweets in support of women’s rights and posting photos of herself at the mall without an Abaya (a traditional loose-fitting long-sleeved robe) on Snapchat.
Kamile Wayit
Uyghur University Student sentenced in 2023 after posting video on WeChat
China
Kamile Wayit, China, is a 20-year-old Uyghur female university preschool education student. She has been detained since December 2022 and sentenced on March 25, 2023 under the charge of “promoting extremism” after posting a video on WeChat about the November 2022 “A4 protests” in China and the related nationwide peaceful protest. The protest aimed to commemorate victims of the Urumqi Fire.
Ana da SIlva Miguel
Social Media Influencer sentenced to 6 months in prison
Angola
Ana da Silva Miguel (also known as Neth Nahara), Angola, a 31-year-old TikToker and digital influencer, uses her social media to comment on current issues in Angola, mainly involving famous artists and politicians. In August 2023, she was convicted to 6 months in prison for the crime of ‘outrage against the state, its symbols, and bodies’ for recording a live video on TikTok criticizing the president. Following an appeal by the public prosecutor on September 27, her 6-month sentence was increased to 2 years in prison.
Amnesty International calls attention to librarians, scholars, and educators who may become the target of authoritarian regimes and other forces in society because of the work that they do to research, retain, or provide information
Etienne Fakaba Sissoko
Academic and Author sentenced to 2 Years in Jail following Book Publication
Mali
Etienne Fakaba Sissoko, Mali was convicted on charges of defamation, damaging the state’s reputation and distributing fake news. He was sentenced to two years in jail, with one year suspended, and a fine of XOF 3 million (approximately 4,500 Euros). A notable government critic and scholar, Etienne Fakaba Sissoko, was arrested after the publication of a book in which he denounced alleged propaganda in the Malian government’s public information campaign. His arbitrary detention is in violation of his right to freedom of expression. He must be immediately and unconditionally released.
Unite Against Book Bans
USA
There are widespread efforts across the U.S. to censor and ban books that include content related to race, gender, sexuality, and LGBTQIA+ subject matter, including in public schools and libraries.
Librarians and teachers are also being targeted in light of the publications they use to support their work, including elevated incidents of threats and harassment as well as police reports filed against library staff. These reports mirror serious challenges to freedom of expression found in authoritarian regimes elsewhere in the world.
The bans are extremely concerning — because freedom of expression and access to education are human rights. Removing and banning books from public schools and libraries is a slippery slope to government censorship, and erodes the U.S. government’s obligations to human rights.
BK16
16 Artists, Academics, and Writers detained for Human Rights and CIvil Rights work for Marginalized Communities
India
Human Rights defenders collectively known as the BK16 have used their professional and creative voices to advocate for human and civil rights, against the caste system, and for cultural, religious, and linguistic pluralism. According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, they have been detained for their human rights and civil rights work for marginalized religious communities. Academics and researchers swept up in the BK16 arrests include: Anand Teltumbde, whose books address the caste system and Dalits; Shoma Sen, a professor and women’s rights activist, has published articles that address Dalit feminism and the role of women in class struggles; Hany Babu, linguist and language activist published work that examines India’s language policies that “pull towards unilingual identity”; Vernon Gonsalves wrote extensively on Dalit, Adivasi, and prisoner’s rights; and Rona Wilson, a PhD student.
Amnesty International calls attention to journalists and media professionals who play a crucial part in maintaining freedom of expression and holding the powerful to account.
Alberto Amaro Jordan
Journalist repeatedly attacked due to work
Mexico
Mexican journalist Alberto Amaro has denounced several serious attacks in the last five years due to his work. Since 2019, Amaro has been beaten, threatened, and arrested by police officers, intimidated by alleged members of a drug cartel, suffered an attempted break-in, and had shots fired at his house, among other attacks. Despite all this, in August 2023, the Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists determined that he was no longer in danger after four years enrolled in the Mechanism and told him it would be withdrawing his four bodyguards.
Alberto Amaro’s security situation must be immediately reassessed, in consultation with him, and guarantees made that his existing protective measures are not withdrawn, and any additional measures that are needed to guarantee his safety must be granted, given the level of risk he faces. Authorities must investigate any attacks against him.
Maria Ponomarenko
Journalist and Blogger Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison following Telegram post
Russia
Maria Ponomarenko is an activist, blogger and a journalist from Barnaul, Altai Krai, who worked for the online media outlet RusNews. On April 23, 2022, she was arrested by the police under Article 207.3 (2) (d) (“Public dissemination of knowingly false information about the Russian Armed Forces committed with motives of hatred or enmity”).
The “false information” she was accused of disseminating was a March 17 post (which has since been deleted) in her Telegram channel about the bombing of the Donetsk Regional Academic Drama Theatre in Mariupol, Ukraine by Russian forces, which killed hundreds of civilians.
In February 2023, Maria was sentenced to six years imprisonment. Maria is a prisoner of conscience.
Nidal al-Waheidi and Haitham Abdelwahed
Journalists & Photojournalists detained since October 2023 in conditions constituting enforced disappearance
Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories
Nidal al-Waheidi and Haitham Abdelwahed are journalists from the occupied Gaza Strip. Both were detained by Israeli forces on October 7 while they were reporting the Hamas-led attack and are held in conditions constituting enforced disappearance. Since then, Israeli authorities have refused to disclose their whereabouts or the legal grounds and reasons for their arrest. As of December 2023 no information has been shared about their fate or whereabouts. Israeli authorities must immediately disclose their whereabouts and the legal grounds for their arrest, grant them access to legal representation and ensure their humane treatment. Unless charged with an internationally recognized criminal offense, they must be immediately released.
Banned Books Week
Virtual Launch Event
Challenges to Freedom of Expression: How Governments Are Reinventing Censorship in the 21st Century
Join us for a dynamic virtual event exploring the critical issues of freedom of expression and censorship in the 21st century. This event will feature a panel of experts, including scholars and artists, who will delve into the role of social media in amplifying or silencing voices, the impact of government regulations and corporate policies on free expression, and the ethical dilemmas surrounding the spread of disinformation. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in interactive Q&A sessions, share their perspectives, and explore how we can protect freedom of expression while also protecting Human Rights.
Date & Time: Thursday, September 19, 2024, 8pm-9:30pm EST
By signing up, we will provide you with special updates on the 2024 Banned Books Week Focus Cases, and special resources and support for organizing in your community.
Good news from
Banned Books Week
Aleksandra RELEASED!
On August 1, 2024, Alexksandra was released from prison as part of a prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia. Aleksandra’s birthday is September 13th; send her a Greeting Card!
Mail Cards to: AIUSA, 89 South Street, Boston, MA 02111
Resources
Banned Book Week Action College Toolkit
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High School Action Toolkit
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2024 Printable Petitions
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2024 Case Sheets
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Print Your 2024 Bookmarks
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ORDER YOUR 2024 BOOKMARKS
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Freedom of Expression Facilitator Guide
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Internationalize Banned Books Week & Human Rights – For Librarians and Booksellers
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Children’s Resources
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Amnesty International 2024 Book List
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