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FREE EXPRESSION SPOTLIGHT:
 TAKE ACTION! PEN COMMEMORATES DAY OF THE IMPRISONED WRITER
One afternoon in May, police officers stormed City Hall in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, where rehearsals were taking place for a play. "The Crocodile of Zambezi" is about an ageing leader of a fictional African country facing political and personal crises. The police accused the play of ridiculing President Robert Mugabe, and said they were sent to "censor or stop any suspicious performances." And although the crew vowed to end the show after only having delivered a single performance, the police gave crew members a severe beating and banned the play altogether. That Zimbabwean crew has been chosen as one of five stories to mark International PEN's Day of the Imprisoned Writer on 15 November. PEN urges you to send a letter on behalf of the actors and the thousands of writers who have been jailed, harassed or persecuted this year alone because of their work.  Click
here to view previous Free Expression Spotlights.
NEWS BY REGION:
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| ALERTS! |
| Ecuador
- 19 NOV 2008 Radio station closed down after being accused of instigating people to protest |
| United Arab Emirates
- 19 NOV 2008 Newspaper suspended and fined after reporting on horse-racing scandal |
| Swaziland
- 19 NOV 2008 TV cameraman harassed, camera confiscated |
| Yemen
- 19 NOV 2008 Blogger faces harassment, threats following critical posts |
| Mexico
- 19 NOV 2008 Journalist who attempted to cover confrontation between drug traffickers detained, faces judicial proceedings |
| Europe
- 19 NOV 2008 Council of Europe accused of secrecy over convention on transparency |
| Bolivia
- 19 NOV 2008 Photographer receives death threats after photographing pro-government groups; governor accuses newspaper of taking money in exchange for publishing false information |