PEN Turkey: Imprisonment of Journalists Cannot Be Accepted

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PEN International Turkey center has released a statement for the press on the occasion of November 15 International Day of the Imprisoned Writers, which the organization initiated years ago with the aim of raising awareness to the rights violations, persecutions and attacks faced by writers, publishers, editors and journalists using their freedom of expression around the world.

On this occasion, PEN International and its centers specifically focus on four people each year. In 2018, the organization has drawn attention to the imprisoned journalists from Bangladesh, Mexico, Egypt, Russia and Ukraine:

Activist writer-photographer Shahidul Alam from Bangladesh faces 7 to 14 years in prison; journalist-writer Dawit Isaak from Sweden-Eritrea has been in prison in Eritrea for 17 years, he is prevented from communicating with the outside world; activist-writer Wael Abbas from Egypt has still been in prison; filmmaker-writer Oleg Sentsov from Ukraine, who protests the occupation of Crimea by Russia, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in Siberia.

"Imprisonment of journalists cannot be accepted"

On the occasion of the November 15 International Day of the Imprisoned Writers, PEN Turkey center has released a written statement and denounced the arrests and oppressions faced by journalists:

"We demand that the ones who killed or instigated to kill the 'disappeared' journalists in Turkey, Mexico, Malta and Russia be brought to account. Moreover, we find the situation of 123 journalists and writers, who have been arrested in our country as part of anti-democratic practices, unacceptable."

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* In the upper left side of the above photograph stand the journalists behind bars in Turkey, namely Semiha Şahin, Pınar Gayıp, Kibriye Evren, Nedim Türfent, İsminaz Güzel and Ahmet Altan; in photograph on the lower left is Oleg Gennadyevich Sentsov from Ukraine; on the lower right stand Wael Abbas from Egypt, Shahidul Alam and Dawit Isaak from Eritrea.

(EMK/SD)