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46 Case closed Saeed SARBAZI. Journalist for the privately owned, English-language Business Recorder, Karachi’s only business daily. Mr Sarbazi, 65, has not been seen since he left home on the morning of 20 September 2006 in Karachi. It is not known whether his disappearance is related to his work. Case closed for lack of further information. PHILIPPINES Case closed Gemma BAGAYAUA (f): Online editor of Newsbreak. Reportedly arrested on 7 March 2007 in the paper’s office in the Manila suburb of Pasig. She is one of five Newsbreak journalists who are charged for libel. Bagayaua was released the next morning and all five posted bail on the same day. Case closed for lack of further information. Ninez CACHO-OLIVAREZ (f), Ike SENERES and Herman TIU- LAUREL: Editor-publisher and columnists respectively for the opposition newspaper Daily Tribune. Reportedly charged on 3 March 2006 with inciting sedition in articles published in their newspaper. The police raided the Daily Tribune’s offices on 25 February 2006 under state of emergency laws. Case closed for lack of further information. Dante FABIAN: Senior reporter for Sun Star Pampanga. Reportedly arrested on 19 December 2006 for libel in a case brought by a local politician. Fabian was released on bail and was due to be tried on 25 January 2007. Case closed for lack of further information. Letty Jimenez MAGSANOC and Isagani YAMBOT: Editor-in-chief and publisher respectively of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Arrested along with eight other members of the editorial staff on 20 March 2007 in Manila. Released on bail the same day. Case closed for lack of further information. Maritess Danguilan VITUG, Glenda GLORIA (f), Jose DALISAY, Ricky CARANDANG and Booma CRUZ: Journalists and editors for Newsbreak magazine. All were reportedly arrested on the charge that they ‘meant and intended to convey false and malicious insinuations’ against Jose Miguel Arroyo, the husband of the current Philippines President on 14 December 2006. The journalists were charged with defamation in connection with an article about Arroyo’s allegedly undeclared properties in the United States. Arroyo initiated legal proceedings against the journalists on the basis that the article written was defamatory. Each defendant paid a US$200 bail. No date for a trial has been set. Case closed for lack of further information. SOUTH KOREA Judicial concern SONG Du-Yol D.o.b.: 1944. Profession: Scholar. Professor of Philosophy at Muenster University, Germany. Has published several academic books. Date of arrest: 22 October 2003 Sentence: Seven years’ imprisonment. Expires: 21 October 2010. Details of arrest: Reportedly detained under the National Security Law (NSL) for alleged pro-north Korean activities. Asked to report to the National Intelligence Service on arrival at Seoul airport on 22 September 2003 after returning to the Republic of Korea after 37 years living in exile in Germany. The Korea Democracy Foundation had reportedly invited him to South Korea. Subject to extensive interrogation until 22 October 2003, when he was taken into custody. Charged on 19 November 2003 under Articles 3,5, and 8 of the NSL in connection with membership of the North Korean Workers Party. Prosecutors reportedly took a harsh stance towards him because he refused to make a formal pledge of loyalty to the Republic of Korea. He reportedly admits joining the North Korea Worker’s Party, but denies being a Politburo member. He gained German citizenship in 1993. Details of trial: Reportedly sentenced on 30 April 2004 to 7 years in prison under the National Security Law by Seoul District Court. His academic articles and books allegedly ‘praising North Korea’ were reportedly raised in court by the prosecution as evidence against him. Treatment in detention: Said to have been ill-treated during extensive interrogation sessions at which his lawyer was not allowed to be present. SRI LANKA Case closed Subramaniam RAMACHANDRAN: Correspondent for Yarl Thinakkural and Valampuri. Reportedly went missing on 15 February 2007. It is feared that he may have been kidnapped by pro-government militia after receiving several death threats. Case closed for lack of further information. Nihal SERASINGHE, Lalith SENEVIRATNE and Sisira PRIYANKARA: Reporters for the trade union monthly Akuna (Thunder). All three were reportedly arrested on 5 February 2007. They are facing charges of planning terrorist acts and are also accused of ‘collusion with the Tamil Tigers’. They are being held by the Criminal Investigation Department while an investigation into the alleged crimes is conducted. It is feared that confessions may have been extracted under pressure. Case closed for lack of further information. TONGA Case closed Tavake FUSIMALOHI and Falisi TUPOU: Editor and senior journalist respectively of Kele’a newspaper. Fusimalohi was charged with sedition and defamation following his arrest on 22 March 2007. He was released because of ill health and appeared in court on 26 March 2007. Tupou was arrested on 5 April 2007 on sedition charges. Case closed for lack of further information. VIETNAM Main cases LE Dinh Nhan (religious name: Thich HUYEN Quang) D.o.b.: 1917 Profession: Patriarch of the Institute For The Propagation Of The Dharma, Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV), An Quang Pagoda (Saigon). Date of arrest: 29 December 1994. Details of arrest: Arrested for publishing an open letter criticising government policy on freedom of speech and religious expression. Place of detention: Held under “temple arrest” until around mid-1995 when moved to an isolated area in Quang Ngai. Moved again in 2003 to Nguyen Thieu Monastery, Binh Dinh Province. He is said to be held incommunicado with security police permanently stationed outside the monastery gates. Professional details: Author of renowned books on Buddhism and Oriental philosophy for the last thirty years. Said to be one of the most respected religious leaders of the Vietnamese Buddhists and people. Health concerns: Sources indicate that his life has been in great danger due to poor health and lack of medical treatment. Reportedly hospitalised in September 2006 and transferred to a private clinic in Ho Chi Minh
City to receive treatment for heart disease and a lung infection. Previous political imprisonment/problems: Had been detained under house arrest since 1982 for alleged “anti-government activities”. Thought to relate to his public appeals for religious freedom and official recognition of the UBCV. Other information: Adopted by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in May 2005. Awarded the Homo Homini Award by People in Need-Czech TV Foundation on 9 April 2003. Honorary Member of: English, French, Danish, and Sydney PEN. LE Thi Cong Nhan (f) and NGUYEN Van Dai: Profession: Lawyer and cyber dissident, and journalist respectively. Date of arrest: 6 March 2007. Sentence: 4 years and five years in prison respectively. Expires: March 2011 and March 2012 respectively. Details of arrest: Nguyen Van Dai and Le Thi Cong Nhan (f) were arrested at their homes on the morning of the 6 March 2007. They were accused of ‘hostile propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam’ for their dissident activities with the pro-democracy movement ‘’Bloc 8406’’, including the recent signing of a petition under their real names. Details of trial: Le Thi Cong Nhan and Nguyen Van Dai were sentenced to four years and five years in prison respectively by the Hanoi People’s Court on 11 May 2007. Their convictions were upheld on appeal on 27 November 2007. Place of detention: Cau Dien detention camp, in Tu Liem district, 13 km from Hanoi. Background to arrest and previous political problems: Nguyen Van Dai is one of the leaders of the democracy movement ‘’Bloc 8406’’ and regularly posts pro-democracy essays on foreign websites. He started a web-log on the Reporters Sans Frontiers web-log platform shortly before his arrest (http://nguyenvandai.rsfblog.org). He and fellow lawyer Le Thi Cong Nhan (f) have been under heavy surveillance for some time for their dissident activities, and were briefly detained on 3 February 2007 and held for 48 hours. Nguyen Van Dai was reportedly subjected to criticism by a ‘popular court’ on 8 February 2007, in which 200 residents from a district of Hanoi were mobilised by the authorities to insult and denounce him for being a ‘traitor’. Other information: Both were reportedly immediately struck off the Hanoi bar list following their arrests. (RAN 12/07, Update #1 – 7 March 2007, Update #2- 15 May 2007). Honorary member of: Suisse-Romande PEN. NGUYEN Van Ly: D.o.b: 1946. Profession: Priest, scholar, essayist and co-editor of the underground online magazine Tu do Ngôn luan (Free Speech). Date of arrest: 19 February 2007. Sentence : eight years in prison and five years of probationary detention. Expires: February 2015. Details of arrest: Reportedly arrested on 19 February 2007 during an “administrative check” at the archdiocesan building where he lives in the city of Hue. Two other editors of Tu do Ngôn luan, Father Chan Tin and Father Phan Van Loi, were reportedly also placed under house arrest. Details of trial: On 30 March 2007 a People’Court in Hue (Central Vietnam) sentenced Father Nguyen Van Ly to eight years in prison and five years of probationary detention for ‘conducting propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam’ (Article 88). A video footage of his sentencing is available on the Internet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUSJeAakoXI. Place of detention: Trai Giam Detention Camp, K1 Ba Sao, Kim Bang District, Municipality of Phu Ly, Ha Nam Province, Viet Nam. Previous political imprisonment/problems: Ly is a leading member of the pro-democracy movement “Bloc 8406”. He was previously detained from 1977-1978, and again from 1983-1992 for his activism in support of freedom of expression and religion. He was sentenced again in October 2001 to 15 years in prison for his online publication of an essay on human rights violations in Vietnam, and was a main case of International PEN. The sentence was commuted several times and he was released under amnesty in February 2005. Honorary member of: Sydney PEN.(RAN 12/07 - 28 February 2007; update #1 - 7 March 2007; updates #2 – 3 April 2007). TRAN Khai Thanh Thuy (aka Tran Thi Thuy Trang) (f) Profession: Award-winning writer and journalist. Date of arrest: 21 April 2007. Details of arrest: Tran Khai Thanh Thuy was arrested at her home in Hanoi on 21 April 2007, where she had reportedly been held under strict house arrest since November 2006. She is believed to be charged with violating Article 88 of the Criminal Code for the dissemination of information deemed by the authorities to be harmful to the state. The charges reportedly follow the publication on the Internet of a number of essays by Thuy calling for democracy. She is also reported to be accused of membership of the underground pro-democracy group Bloc 8406, of supporting a dissident human rights organisation, and of illegally organising a trade union. The charges carry a maximum sentence of twelve years in prison. Professional details: Tran Khai Thanh Thuy is an established novelist, poet, essayist and editor of the underground dissident magazine To Quoc (Fatherland). Previous political problems: She has been under heavy surveillance and harassment since September 2006 for her critical writings published online. She has been repeatedly denounced and humiliated in public meetings organized by the authorities, including a “People’s Court” in October 2006, where police gathered 300 people in a public stadium to insult her. Mobs have entered her home calling her a traitor and a prostitute and threatening to beat her, and she was denied police protection. In September and October 2006, she was continuously interrogated and detained by authorities, and in November she was dismissed from her job. She was held under strict house arrest during the November 2006 APEC meetings. Other information: She is one of 2007’s Hellman Hammet Awards Winners (http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/02/06/vietna15277_txt.htm). Health concerns: Tran Khai Thanh Thuy suffers from diabetes and advanced tuberculosis, for which she has been receiving hospital treatment, and there are grave concerns that she is not receiving the medical care she urgently requires in detention. (RAN 24/07 – 30 April 2007). Place of detention: Detention Camp B14, Thanh Liet village, Thanh Tri District, Ha Noi, Viet Nam. Honorary member of: English PEN. TRAN Quoc Hien D.o.b: 1965. Profession: Internet writer and human rights lawyer. Date of arrest: 12 January 2007. Sentence: five years in prison, followed by two years probationary detention. Expires: January 2012. Details of arrest: Reportedly arrested on 12 January 2007, the day after being nominated as the spokesperson for the Workers-Farmers Organisation (UWFO), an organisation which represents workers and farmers’ rights and which is not recognised by the government. He was charged with ‘spreading anti-government propaganda’ on the Internet and ‘endangering state security’. Details of trial: He was found guilty of both charges by a court in Ho Chi Minh City on 15 May 2007, following a trial that reportedly only lasted four hours. Place of detention: Detention Camp Bo La 1, Binh Duong Province, Viet Nam. Professional details: Tran Quoc Hien is known for his critical writings published on the Internet, including a short story ‘The Tail’ about the experience of life under surveillance. He is a member of the pro-democracy movement ’Bloc 8406’. He is also a human rights lawyer, known for his work 47
Page 1 and 2: INTERNATIONAL PEN Writers in Prison
Page 3 and 4: Contents List of cases by country 4
Page 5 and 6: CHAD On Trial *Nadjikimo BENOUDJITA
Page 7 and 8: Hadas Eritrea, has been published.
Page 9 and 10: the country since their release. Ho
Page 11 and 12: sionally to several magazines. He a
Page 13 and 14: ment was ruled, is reportedly appea
Page 15 and 16: year, on 8 March, Diop and another
Page 17 and 18: elongings were taken by his attacke
Page 19 and 20: of 29 individuals allegedly targete
Page 21 and 22: magazine, and an hour later a bouqu
Page 23 and 24: Juan Carlos HERRERA ACOSTA: journal
Page 25 and 26: problems in Matanzas. Prior to his
Page 27 and 28: while driving his motorcycle in Uru
Page 29 and 30: taken away by the police after the
Page 31 and 32: US$320,000 fine on “aggravated de
Page 33 and 34: ferred to Beijing where he was held
Page 35 and 36: On 3 February 2005 Li was initially
Page 37 and 38: line between 2000 and 2002. Details
Page 39 and 40: ZHANG Jianhong (aka Li Hong) D.o.b.
Page 41 and 42: Topa Re-education Through Labour Ca
Page 43 and 44: police station and police claimed t
Page 45: Satta Daily. Reporteldy found dead
Page 49 and 50: AZERBAIJAN Main Cases Eynulla FATUL
Page 51 and 52: eport on the human-rights situation
Page 53 and 54: nary statement as unprofessional an
Page 55 and 56: produces Chugunka, a publication fr
Page 57 and 58: Basque Country since 1968. He regul
Page 59 and 60: number of others, since released, o
Page 61 and 62: appeal. He is currently free on app
Page 63 and 64: publishing". Both cases will be hel
Page 65 and 66: memory of Atatürk¨. Yetisgen is c
Page 67 and 68: Ibrahim YILDIZ: journalists for Cum
Page 69 and 70: went on to work for a number of ind
Page 71 and 72: that are likely to disturb public o
Page 73 and 74: *Ejlal QAVAMI Profession: Journalis
Page 75 and 76: Brief Detention/Facing charges *Soh
Page 77 and 78: Sentenced, suspended Driss KSIKES a
Page 79 and 80: Al-Khaiwani has been under threat s
Page 81: 103. Hamid Himid . . . . . . . . .

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