EMBARGOED 15 November 2023
PRESS RELEASE

(London, 12 November 2024): Acclaimed writers Olga Tokarczuk, Elif Shafak, Viv Groskop and Gioconda Belli express solidarity to fellow writers as PEN International launches its annual Day of the Imprisoned Writer campaign, 15 November 2024.

From 15 – 29 November, PEN International spotlights four writers targeted for their peaceful free expression work, urging its members to take action to get them immediately and unconditionally released: Kaciaryna Andrejeva (Belarus), Jimmy Lai (Hong Kong), Jose Rubén Zamora Marroquín (Guatemala), and Alaa Abd El-Fattah (Egypt).

• Olga Tokarczuk writes to Kaciaryna Andrejeva
• Elif Shafak writes to Jimmy Lai
• Viv Groskop writes to Alaa Abd el-Fattah
• Gioconda Belli writes to Jose Rubén Zamora Marroquín

” Writers play a vital role in building functioning societies, as they expand the boundaries of thought, connect and bridge gaps, stimulate critical thought, and inspire change. Each day a writer endures confinement is a day stolen to a fairer world. We must rise to refuse their silencing and demand their immediate release. We owe it to their courage.” Burhan Sonmez, PEN International President

This year, PEN International is highlight the cases of:

Alaa Abd El-Fattah
British-Egyptian writer and activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah remains arbitrarily imprisoned after serving an unjust five-year prison sentence in Egypt on politically motivated charges, in a grossly unfair trial. In detention, he endures ill-treatment, inhumane conditions, and the denial of consular visits. 

Kaciaryna Andrejeva (real name Bachvałava)
Journalist, writer and poet, Kaciaryna Andrejeva (real name Bachvałava) is serving an eight-year prison sentence in Belarus on bogus charges of ‘state treason’. Andrejeva is currently being held in a medium-security penal colony in Homel, southeastern Belarus.Jimmy Lai
Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy campaigner, writer, and founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, has been imprisoned in solitary confinement since December 2020 and now faces prosecution under Hong Kong’s National Security Law. If convicted, he faces a potential life sentence for his peaceful advocacy for freedom and democracy in Hong Kong.

Jose Rubén Zamora Marroquín
Jose Rubén Zamora Marroquín, a leading Guatemalan journalist and founder of elPeriódico, has faced threats, criminalisation and arbitrary detention for his investigations into corruption within Alejandro Giammatei’s government. On 18 October 2024, Zamora was placed under house arrest after more than 800 days behind bars.