World's Leading Authors Endorse Event, Call for Justice for Murdered
Colleagues in El Universal Ad
*** PEN Delegation to Hold Press Conference Monday ***
TORONTO, Jan. 27, 2012 /CNW/ -
WHAT:
PEN International and the PEN Club de México present "PEN Protesta! In Support of Journalists and Freedom of Expression," a public demonstration of solidarity and a demand for accountability
for the murders and disappearances of journalists in Mexico. John Ralston Saul, Russell Banks, Gillian Slovo, Takeaki Hori, and six other members of a delegation representing PEN's global
membership will stand side-by-side with Elena Poniatowska, Javier Sicilia, Jennifer Clement, and dozens of Mexican writers and journalists and declare their
support for a free press and freedom of expression in Mexico. The event
represents an unprecedented show of support from the international
literary community in recognition of the courage and endurance of their
Mexican colleagues.
In association with the event, PEN today published a full-page ad in El Universal signed by 170 of the world's leading writers declaring solidarity with
Mexican writers and journalists. Nobel Prize laureates J. M. Coetzee, Nadine Gordimer, Toni Morrison, Orhan Pamuk, Wole Soyinka, Mario Vargas Llosa, and Derek Walcott joined Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, Jonathan Franzen, Claribel Alegría, Bei Dao, Victor Erofeyev, Ariel Dorfman, A.B. Yehoshua, Hanif Kureishi, Leonard Cohen, and scores of other international literary luminaries in demanding
prosecutions of those responsible for murdering journalists.
WHEN:
January 29, 2012, 12:00 p.m.
WHERE:
Casa Lamm, Alvaro Obregon No 99, Colonia Roma, Mexico D.F.
*** PRESS CONFERENCE WITH PEN INTERNATIONAL DELEGATION ***
January 30, 2012
Mexico City Press Club, Filomeno Mata 8, Col. Centro, Mexico City
Members of the press are cordially invited to attend a press conference with the PEN International delegation at the Mexico City Press Club at 12:00 p.m. on Monday, January 30, 2012. The delegation will offer comments on the situation in Mexico, report
on a series of meetings with government and diplomatic officials and
colleague organizations, and share PEN's recommendations. Press RSVPs
to Alicia Quiñones, penpress.mex@gmail.com; +52 55 42322179, +52 55 15803002
PEN Protesta! In Support of Journalists and Freedom of Expression
Between 2000 and 2011, criminal organizations have murdered more than 67
journalists in Mexico. In recent months, these groups have killed 15
journalists, "disappeared" three, and attacked the facilities of 19
newspapers and media outlets with firearms and explosives, according to
statistics released by the organization Article 19 in October 2011. As
an international literary organization dedicated to the protection of
writers and the defense of freedom of expression, PEN has condemned
these killings and called for an end to impunity for those who carry
out attacks on media workers in Mexico. At "PEN Protesta," delegates
representing PEN's distinguished global membership of writers lend
their voices to the growing national chorus demanding effective
protections for members of the Mexican press. This event is made
possible in part by the generous sponsorship of the Knight Foundation.
Note to Editors
PEN International celebrates literature and promotes freedom of
expression. Founded in 1921, our global community of writers now
comprises 144 Centers spanning more than 100 countries. Our programs,
campaigns, events and publications connect writers and readers for
global solidarity and cooperation. PEN International is a non-political
organization and holds consultative status at the United Nations and
UNESCO. www.pen-international.org. For more information and to request
interviews please contact our press office, penoffice@pen-international.org | press@pen-international.org | +44 (0) 20 7405 0338, or contact Laura McVeigh, Executive Director,
at laura.mcveigh@pen-international.org | +44 (0) 780 24640527
PEN Canada is an active member of PEN International.
