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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! |
| Burma
- 21 NOV 2008 Comedian and blogger "Zarganar" sentenced to 45 years in prison; sports journalist Zaw Thet Htwe gets 15 years |
| Colombia
- 21 NOV 2008 Judge issues order for arrest of "Semana" magazine editor |
| India
- 21 NOV 2008 Trainee journalist gunned down in Manipur for unknown motives; local media stage protests |
| Serbia
- 21 NOV 2008 Television station editor receives death threat from local officials |
| Malawi
- 21 NOV 2008 Charges against journalist dismissed |
| Paraguay
- 21 NOV 2008 Football player assaults and issues death threats against "Popular" newspaper journalists |
| Israel
- 21 NOV 2008 Foreign reporters prevented from entering Gaza Strip for more than two weeks |