国际笔会促请在伦敦书展上讨论中国文学与审查

国际笔会促请在伦敦书展上讨论中国文学与审查

（独立中文笔会2012年4月15日讯）国际笔会和英国笔会4月13日发布新闻稿，促请各界在伦敦书展上讨论中国文学与审查的问题，并呼吁中国政府释放所有狱中作家、停止骚扰及审查敢言人士。新闻稿全文翻译如下:

当伦敦书展于4月16日星期一开幕时，至少35名作家仍在中国陷狱，其中有些服刑将长达20年，他们全都是因言获罪。

国际笔会致力于文学和言论自由，代表100多国家144个笔会的成千上万会员发声。国际笔会的创会成员英格兰笔会位于伦敦，将会作为主力参展4月16日至18日的伦敦书展。

虽然中国将为本届伦敦书展的焦点，但笔会所有同人对我们无法在书展上听见狱中或流亡中的声音深表失望。一位系狱者是独立中文笔会前会长、诺贝尔和平奖得主刘晓波，他于2008年12月8日被拘禁，2009年12月25日被判刑11年。

而且，打压仍在继续，自2011年2月16日以来，警方不断加强骚扰全国各地维权人士和活动者，显然是以此回应网上匿名呼吁的"茉莉花革命"抗议行动。成百维权人士和活动者被任意拘禁、骚扰和恐吓，包括独立中文笔会会员、作家朱虞夫，他于2011年4月被逮捕，2012年2月10日以发表"反诗"《是时候了》而被判刑七年。

笔会将伦敦书展一类活动视为不同观点者交流的非常重要机会，对于自由表达遭严重打压的中国尤为如此。国际笔会希望在未来几天，我们能找出办法，不仅庆贺中国文学，而且检视自由言论在中国所受的压制。

进一步信息，请联系：

国际笔会亚洲研究员Cathy McCann：+44(0)207 4050338 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            +44(0)207 4050338      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

英格兰笔会文宣及联络主管Robert Sharp：+44(0)7790 420011 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            +44(0)7790 420011      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

请编辑们注意：

 在中华人民共和国至少有35名作家被拘禁；

 尽管中国政府在准备主办2008年奥运会之前承诺改善人权和新闻自由，但是被监禁作家人数却大致一直未变；

 监狱条件恶劣，狱中生病率很高，缺乏医疗和家人探访，常受骚扰；

 笔会曾推动作家刘晓波获得2010年诺贝尔和平奖，他于2008年12月8日被拘禁，2009年12月25日被判刑11年。

 随着增加使用互联网，政府相应对电子媒体的监控与打压不断提升，博客作者被拘禁数也不断增加。

 去年对维权人士和活动者骚扰递增，以回应网上匿名呼吁的"茉莉花革命"抗议行动，成百维权人士和活动者从此被任意拘禁、骚扰和恐吓，包括几位作家。

 英格兰笔会通常在"笔会文学咖啡茶座"（PEN Literary Cafe），接待英国文化协会挑选的"市场聚焦"作家。但今年，英格兰笔会将不会向该项目所包括的作家提供这个平台，因为该项目的合作伙伴为中国新闻出版总署——负责制定和管理所有中国出版的政府官方机构，包括颁发出版许可证、在中国积极查禁书籍。

 英格兰笔会将会在4月16至18日伦敦书展的三天展期中，继续在英格兰笔会文学咖啡茶座举办一个英国和国际作家的项目，包括作为伦敦书展"当日作家"毕飞宇——英格兰笔会过去曾资助过毕飞宇的一部著作。英格兰笔会亦会在咖啡茶座中纳入没有被列入官方项目的张戎。

 为了给异见和流亡声音一个更宽阔的平台，英格兰笔会于3月29日在英国自由言论中心（Free Word Centre）举办了"透视中国"（China Inside Out）研讨会，主要推介异见和流亡的中文作家如马建和陈希我。

国际笔会呼吁：

 释放中国监禁的所有作家；

 停止骚扰及审查敢言人士。

国际笔会是世界上最悠久的人权组织和国际性文学组织，致力推进世界各地作家间的友谊和理性合作，为言论自由奋斗，代表世界文学的良知。独立中文笔会是国际笔会的144个分会之一，抗议中国当局对作家和新闻工作者的监禁、骚扰、监控，致力结束中国对互联网的监控和对自由写作的种种限制。关于笔会保护作家和维护言论自由的更多信息，请参见 http://www.chinesepen

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For immediate release: 15.00, 13 April 2012

PEN urges discussion of Chinese literature and censorship at London Book Fair

As the London Book Fair opens on Monday 16 April, at least 35 writers are in prison in China. Some are serving sentences of up to twenty years. All are being detained for what they have written or said.

PEN International is devoted to literature and freedom of expression, and speaks for tens of thousands of members in 144 PEN Centres over 100 countries. The founding centre, English PEN, is based in London and will have a major presence at London Book Fair on 16-18 April.

It is a deep disappointment to everyone in PEN that although China will be the focus for the London Book Fair we will not be hearing the voices of those in prison, or the many others who live in exile. One detainee is the former President of the Independent Chinese PEN Centre (ICPC) and Nobel Laureate, Liu Xiaobo, who was arrested on 8 December 2008 and sentenced to eleven years in prison on 25 December 2009.

And the repression continues. Since 16 February 2011 police have stepped up their harassment of human rights defenders and activists across the country, apparently in response to anonymous calls for 'Jasmine Revolution' protests. Over one hundred human rights defenders and activists have been arbitrarily detained, harassed or intimidated. They include writer Zhu Yufu, a member of the ICPC, who was arrested in April 2011 and handed down a seven-year prison sentence on 10 February 2012 for his allegedly 'subversive' poem 'It's Time'.

PEN sees events such as the London Book Fair as highly important opportunities for exchange between those with diverse views. This is particularly so in the case of China where free expression is heavily curtailed. PEN hopes that over the coming days, ways will be found to not only to celebrate Chinese literature but also to examine the suppression of free speech in China.

For PEN International please contact Cathy McCann, Asia Researcher on 0207 405 0338

For English PEN please contact Robert Sharp, Head of Campaigns & Communications: 07790 420011

Notes to Editors

·           There are at least thirty-five writers detained in the People's Republic of China.

·           Numbers of detainees have remained largely unchanged in spite of government commitments to human rights and press freedom in the run-up to the 2008 Olympic Games

·           Prison conditions are poor, with high levels of ill-health, a lack of access to medical care and family visits, and harassment.

·           PEN was instrumental in the award of the Nobel Peace Prize 2010 to writer Liu Xiaobo, who was arrested on 8 December 2008 and sentenced to eleven years in prison on 25 December 2009.

·           There has been a rise in the numbers of bloggers detained concurrent with the rise in the use of the internet and corresponding government surveillance and suppression of the electronic media.

·           Last year harassment against human rights defenders and activists stepped up in response to anonymous calls for 'Jasmine Revolution' protests. Over one hundred human rights defenders and activists have since been arbitrarily detained, harassed or intimidated, including several writers. 

·           English PEN would normally host Market Focus authors selected by the British Council in the PEN Literary Cafe. However, this year English PEN will not be providing a platform to the authors included in this programme as it has been produced in partnership with GAPP (Administration of Press and Publication of the People's Republic of China – GAPP-PRC), the official government agency responsible for the regulation and administration of all Chinese publishing, including the issuing of publication licenses and the active censorship and banning of books in China. 

·         English PEN will continue to host a programme of British and international authors at the English PEN Literary Cafe during all three days of the fair, April 16-18. English PEN will include Bi Feiyu, an 'Author of the Day' at London Book Fair, in the PEN Cafe programme, having supported one of his books in the past. English PEN will also include Jung Chang, who is not forming part of the official programme, in the PEN Cafe.

·         In order to give a wider platform to dissident and exiled voices, English PEN held 'China Inside Out', a major event featuring dissident and exiled Chinese writers such as Ma Jian and Chen Xiwo, at the Free Word Centre on 29 March.

PEN is calling for:

·         the release of all writers in prison in China; and

·         an end to the harassment and censorship of those who dare to speak out.