here - English PEN

For immediate release: Wednesday, 2 April 2008, 12:00PRESS RELEASEBRITISH WRITERS HANDED A “POETIC TORCH” EN ROUTE TO BEIJINGThis Sunday, 6 April, as the Olympic Torch arrives in the UK, so too does a poem written by theimprisoned Chinese poet and journalist, Shi Tao.The poem, entitled ‘June’ and alluding to memories of the Tiannamen massacre, is being passedaround the globe by the centres of International PEN, the worldwide writers’ association, as part ofPEN’s current campaign calling for the release of some 40 writers currently imprisoned in China.The verse will ‘arrive’ at the English and Scottish PEN centres this Sunday via the vehicle of awebsite (www.penpoemrelay.org), where readers can click on London to hear the poem read inEnglish by actress Juliet Stevenson or see the translation into Welsh by poet Menna Elfyn, orclick on Edinburgh to hear the poem in Scottish Gaelic (translated by poet Rody Gorman and readby Myles Campbell) or Scots (translated and read by writer Kate Armstrong).‘June’ has been translated into more than 60 languages by the various PEN centres, ranging fromAdnyamathanha (an Australian indigenous language) to Tamazight (a Berber language spoken inAlgeria). It ‘left’ its author’s home in China, Taiyuan City, on 25 March, the same day as the OlympicTorch was lit, and has already travelled via Greece, where it intersected with the Torch. Now it ismaking its way, language by language, PEN centre by PEN centre, around the world, ending upback in Beijing for the opening of the Games.Background on Shi TaoShi Tao was arrested on 24 November 2004, after releasing a ‘secret’ document from the Chinesecensors warning their media not to report on the 15 th anniversary of the 1989 Tiannamen SquareProtests. He emailed it to an overseas website called Asia Democracy Foundation and was onlyidentified because the Internet Service Provider Yahoo! handed over details of his private emailaccount to the Chinese Government, leading to his arrest. Yahoo! has recently had to paycompensation to Shi Tao’s family, following a court case brought against them in the US.On 27 April 2005, Shi Tao was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment and 2 years’ deprivation ofpolitical rights by the Changsha Municipal Intermediate People’s Court. By April 2006, he wassuffering from a heart condition, an ulcer and skin problems, as a result of poor prison conditionsand hard labour. In June 2007, Shi Tao was transferred from Chishan Prison to Deshan Prison,where the conditions are reportedly better. He is 40 years old and was married in 1994.Text of ‘June’ by Shi Tao, translated from the Chinese by Chip RolleyMy whole lifeWill never get past ‘June’June, when my heart diedWhen my poetry diedWhen my loverDied in romance’s pool of bloodJune, the scorching sun burns open my skinRevealing the true nature of my woundJune, the fish swims out of the blood-red sea

Toward another place to hibernateJune, the earth shifts, the rivers fall silentPiled up letters unable to be delivered ot the deadNotes for editors: PEN is the world’s largest writers’ organization and the world’s oldest humanrights organization. English PEN and Scottish PEN were founded in 1921 and 1927 respectively.They work alongside 142 other PEN centres in 100 other countries, defending imprisoned andpersecuted writers, while also promoting literature and linguistic diversity. This weekend,representatives from PEN centres around the world will be meeting in Glasgow to discuss, amongother issues, their campaigning on behalf of Chinese writers.