Journalist Natalia Radzina, who was beaten and imprisoned following last year’s disputed election, explains why she fled Belarus seeking political asylum
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Beyond Bars
LETTER FROM THE OUTSIDE
Playwright Tom Stoppard on why he would never have been a writer in prison – and the importance of communicating with those who are
POWER OF THE PEN
Carole Seymour-Jones celebrates the achievements of 50 years of fighting for authors’ freedoms and explains why there is so much more work to be done
EYEWITNESS
Moris Farhi on Faraj Sarkoohi
TWO FOR THE ROAD
Maureen Freely on Harold Pinter and Arthur Miller’s infamous trip to Turkey and the pitfalls of intervening in another country’s troubles
SURVIVAL IN PRISON
Detained writers suffer from violence, humiliation and loneliness. Writing, often in secret, helps make sense of these terrible experiences, writes Anne Sebba
LIBERATING LANGUAGE
Mohamed Nasheed on how the Maldives has rejected the lexicon, along with the rule, of decades of dictatorship and rediscovered freedom of expression
DIALOGUE WITH DARKNESS
Arthur Koestler’s imprisonment marked a turning point in his thinking, writes Michael Scammell, and was one of the first campaigns to be a cause célèbre
DON’T TELL US WHAT TO WRITE
Margaret Atwood on why the mark of a truly free society is one that allows writers to speak with their own voice, not for causes, however worthy
WORDS WITHOUT BORDERS
As ideas move freely around the world, attacks on writers continue, reports Lisa Appignanesi
RELUCTANT HEROES
International recognition offers a degree of protection to investigative reporters. But, writes Lydia Cacho, being in the limelight presents a new set of dilemmas
A LICENCE TO WRITE
Classroom rules provide first lessons in censorship. Ngugi wa Thiong’o looks back on a childhood debate and recalls his early brushes with a repressive regime
BLOGGING DANGEROUSLY
The next generation of censorship is in full force. Ron Deibert reports on new tactics and argues that only a global movement can protect free speech online
EYEWITNESS
William Boyd on Ken Saro-Wiwa
THE PRICE OF TRUTH
Following his release in May 2010, newspaper editor Lewis Medjo writes about the horrors of his 20-month ordeal in a Cameroonian jail
EYEWITNESS
Ania Corless on Uzbekistan
LONE STAR
As activists shift focus, Salil Tripathi reminds us that the battle for universal rights is not yet won
EYEWITNESS
Antonia Fraser on meeting Irina Ratushinskaya In selected extracts from her diary, written between 1986 and 1988, Lady Antonia Fraser recalls her involvement, together with her husband Harold Pinter, in PEN’s campaign for the release of the political prisoner Irina Ratushinskaya, a Russian poet and writer who was a prominent dissident in the former Soviet Union.
NEVER FORGOTTEN
In July 2010, several Black Spring dissidents were released after years in detention. Val Warner reflects on the highs and lows of writing to Cuban prisoners and former Cuban prisoner Léster Luis González Pentón reflects on the The darkest of places
Microsoft is extending its program of giving free software licences to non-profit organisations. The initiative was first applied to Russia, after it was discovered that authorities were using software piracy inquiries as a method of suppressing independent media outlets and advocacy groups. The program will now include 500,000 NGOs in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, China, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Prior to the announcement NGOs could only obtain a free licence if they were aware of the program and followed the necessary procedure. According to Microsoft’s official blog announcement, the unilateral licence will last until 2012.
Uzbek poet, radio host and sports commentator Khayrullo Khamidov was sentenced to six years in prison on 28 May after being found guilty of belonging to a banned Islamic group. His lawyers plan to appeal the ruling to reduce his sentence. Uzbekistan has one of the highest rates of incarcerated journalists in Europe, with at least 11 currently behind bars.