(New York) - Forty-one writers from 19 countries have received 2012
Hellman/Hammett grants for their commitment to free expression and their
courage in the face of persecution.
The award-winners have faced persecution for their work, generally by government authorities seeking to prevent them from publishing information and opinions. Those honored include journalists, bloggers, essayists, novelists, poets, and playwrights. They also represent numerous other writers worldwide whose personal and professional lives are disrupted by repressive policies to control speech and publications.
The award-winners have faced persecution for their work, generally by government authorities seeking to prevent them from publishing information and opinions. Those honored include journalists, bloggers, essayists, novelists, poets, and playwrights. They also represent numerous other writers worldwide whose personal and professional lives are disrupted by repressive policies to control speech and publications.
“The Hellman/Hammett grants help writers who have suffered because they published information or expressed ideas that criticize or offend people in power,” said Lawrence Moss, coordinator of the Hellman/Hammett grant program at Human Rights Watch. “Many of the writers honored by these grants share a common purpose with Human Rights Watch: to protect the rights of vulnerable people by shining a light on abuses and building pressure for change.”
Governments have used arbitrary arrest and detention, politically motivated criminal charges, and overly broad libel and sedition laws to try to silence this year’s Hellman/Hammett awardees. They have been harassed, threatened, assaulted, indicted, jailed on trumped-up charges, or tortured for peacefully expressing their views or informing the public. When abusive governments target writers, it intimidates others to practice self-censorship.
Free expression is a central human right, enshrined in article 19 of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which declares that “everyone
has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes
freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and
impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of
frontiers.” On July 21, 2011, the Human Rights Committee, the expert
body established under the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights, reiterated the central importance of freedom of opinion and
expression, stating that these freedoms “are indispensable conditions
for the full development of the person. They are essential for any
society. They constitute the foundation stone for every free and
democratic society.”
The Hellman/Hammett grants are given annually to writers around the world who have been targets of political persecution or human rights abuses. A distinguished selection committee awards the cash grants to honor and assist writers whose work and activities have been suppressed by repressive government policies.
The grants are named for the American playwright Lillian Hellman and her longtime companion, the novelist Dashiell Hammett. Both were both questioned by US congressional committees about their political beliefs and affiliations during the aggressive anti-communist investigations inspired by Sen. Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s. Hellman suffered professionally and had trouble finding work. Hammett spent time in prison.
In 1989, the trustees appointed in Hellman’s will asked Human Rights Watch to devise a program to help writers who were targeted for expressing views that their governments oppose, for criticizing government officials or actions, or for writing about subjects that their governments did not want reported.
Over the past 23 years, more than 750 writers from 92 countries have received Hellman/Hammett grants of up to US$10,000 each, totaling more than $3 million. The program also gives small emergency grants to writers who have an urgent need to leave their country or who need immediate medical treatment after serving prison terms or enduring torture.
Of the 41 winners this year, six remain anonymous to prevent further persecution. A list and brief biographies of the award-winners, including just the countries of the anonymous grantees, is below.
A concentration of grantees in certain countries points to especially severe repression of free expression by those governments. Twelve of this year’s grantees come from the People’s Republic of China; four of them are Tibetan and remain anonymous for security reasons. Five grantees are from Vietnam, four from Ethiopia, and three from Iran.
“The compelling stories of the Hellman/Hammett winners illustrate the danger to journalists and writers around the world,” Moss said.
The Hellman/Hammett grants are given annually to writers around the world who have been targets of political persecution or human rights abuses. A distinguished selection committee awards the cash grants to honor and assist writers whose work and activities have been suppressed by repressive government policies.
The grants are named for the American playwright Lillian Hellman and her longtime companion, the novelist Dashiell Hammett. Both were both questioned by US congressional committees about their political beliefs and affiliations during the aggressive anti-communist investigations inspired by Sen. Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s. Hellman suffered professionally and had trouble finding work. Hammett spent time in prison.
In 1989, the trustees appointed in Hellman’s will asked Human Rights Watch to devise a program to help writers who were targeted for expressing views that their governments oppose, for criticizing government officials or actions, or for writing about subjects that their governments did not want reported.
Over the past 23 years, more than 750 writers from 92 countries have received Hellman/Hammett grants of up to US$10,000 each, totaling more than $3 million. The program also gives small emergency grants to writers who have an urgent need to leave their country or who need immediate medical treatment after serving prison terms or enduring torture.
Of the 41 winners this year, six remain anonymous to prevent further persecution. A list and brief biographies of the award-winners, including just the countries of the anonymous grantees, is below.
A concentration of grantees in certain countries points to especially severe repression of free expression by those governments. Twelve of this year’s grantees come from the People’s Republic of China; four of them are Tibetan and remain anonymous for security reasons. Five grantees are from Vietnam, four from Ethiopia, and three from Iran.
“The compelling stories of the Hellman/Hammett winners illustrate the danger to journalists and writers around the world,” Moss said.
2012 Hellman/Hammett Awardees
AFRICA
Anonymous (Burundi)
A radio journalist and editor who has been harassed and threatened by Burundi government authorities as a result of his work.
Bertrand Teyou (Cameroon)
Bertrand Teyou was jailed in November 2010 for writing a book highly critical of the first lady of Cameroon, after previously writing a book critical of Cameroon’s president. Unable to pay the substantial fine demanded for his release, he spent six months in Douala’s New Bell prison, known for its horrible conditions. A news conference for his previous book l’Antécode Biya: Au coeur d’un pays sans tête was banned in Douala, and Teyou was later charged with attempting to disturb the public order, among other crimes, for “his involvement in the publication of a statement calling for demonstrations and strike to protest the high price of fuel.” Teyou has left Cameroon due to the persecution, and lives in Mexico City, where he continues to suffer serious health problems resulting from his imprisonment.
Eskinder Nega (Ethiopia)
On July 13, after nine months in detention, Eskinder Nega, a veteran Ethiopian journalist and the foremost critic from the media of the ruling Ethiopian government, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for conspiracy to commit terrorist acts, as well as participation in a terrorist organization and treason. His case is under appeal. He has been jailed numerous times. Eskinder and his wife, the fellow journalist and newspaper publisher Serkalem Fasil,were arrested, detained for more than one year, and charged with treason following the contested 2005 elections. They were acquitted of all charges in April 2007. Since his release, Eskinder has faced ongoing harassment, surveillance, and intimidation. The authorities denied him a publishing license. In February 2011 he was once again briefly detained. Despite the ongoing harassment, he refused to leave Ethiopia and continued to write and speak out until he was again imprisoned.
Mesfin Negash (Ethiopia)
Mesfin Negashworks for Addis Neger Onlinewebsite, which he established along with other colleagues after fleeing the country in 2009. Mesfin was convicted in absentia in the same trial as Eskinderunder the anti-terrorism law’s article on support for terrorism, which contains a vague prohibition on “moral support.” Mesfin was one of the editors of the now-defunct popular analytical Addis Neger newspaper, but was forced to close the paper and go into exile in November 2009, with most of the paper’s senior staff, after the authorities threatened him.
Woubshet Taye (Ethiopia)
Woubshet Taye was a journalist and deputy editor of the popular, now defunct, weekly newspaper Awramba Times. He was arrested on vague charges of terrorism in June 2011, reportedly tortured during his pretrial detention, and sentenced on terrorism charges in January 2012 in a trial that failed to meet basic fair trial standards. He is currently serving a 14-year prison sentence. The Awramba Times closed in November, following the exile of its editor, Dawit Kebede.
Reeyot Alemu (Ethiopia)
Reeyot Alemu is serving a five-year prison sentence in Ethiopia following an unfair trial in which she was charged with terrorism. She was a teacher and a columnist for Feteh, one of the few independent weekly newspapers in Ethiopia, at the time of her arrest. Evidence presented against Reeyot consisted primarily of online articles critical of the government and telephone discussions, notably regarding peaceful protest actions that do not amount to acts of terrorism. Alemu’s case is a strong example of Ethiopia’s use of its anti-terrorism law to silence journalists.
AFRICA
Anonymous (Burundi)
A radio journalist and editor who has been harassed and threatened by Burundi government authorities as a result of his work.
Bertrand Teyou (Cameroon)
Bertrand Teyou was jailed in November 2010 for writing a book highly critical of the first lady of Cameroon, after previously writing a book critical of Cameroon’s president. Unable to pay the substantial fine demanded for his release, he spent six months in Douala’s New Bell prison, known for its horrible conditions. A news conference for his previous book l’Antécode Biya: Au coeur d’un pays sans tête was banned in Douala, and Teyou was later charged with attempting to disturb the public order, among other crimes, for “his involvement in the publication of a statement calling for demonstrations and strike to protest the high price of fuel.” Teyou has left Cameroon due to the persecution, and lives in Mexico City, where he continues to suffer serious health problems resulting from his imprisonment.
Eskinder Nega (Ethiopia)
On July 13, after nine months in detention, Eskinder Nega, a veteran Ethiopian journalist and the foremost critic from the media of the ruling Ethiopian government, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for conspiracy to commit terrorist acts, as well as participation in a terrorist organization and treason. His case is under appeal. He has been jailed numerous times. Eskinder and his wife, the fellow journalist and newspaper publisher Serkalem Fasil,were arrested, detained for more than one year, and charged with treason following the contested 2005 elections. They were acquitted of all charges in April 2007. Since his release, Eskinder has faced ongoing harassment, surveillance, and intimidation. The authorities denied him a publishing license. In February 2011 he was once again briefly detained. Despite the ongoing harassment, he refused to leave Ethiopia and continued to write and speak out until he was again imprisoned.
Mesfin Negash (Ethiopia)
Mesfin Negashworks for Addis Neger Onlinewebsite, which he established along with other colleagues after fleeing the country in 2009. Mesfin was convicted in absentia in the same trial as Eskinderunder the anti-terrorism law’s article on support for terrorism, which contains a vague prohibition on “moral support.” Mesfin was one of the editors of the now-defunct popular analytical Addis Neger newspaper, but was forced to close the paper and go into exile in November 2009, with most of the paper’s senior staff, after the authorities threatened him.
Woubshet Taye (Ethiopia)
Woubshet Taye was a journalist and deputy editor of the popular, now defunct, weekly newspaper Awramba Times. He was arrested on vague charges of terrorism in June 2011, reportedly tortured during his pretrial detention, and sentenced on terrorism charges in January 2012 in a trial that failed to meet basic fair trial standards. He is currently serving a 14-year prison sentence. The Awramba Times closed in November, following the exile of its editor, Dawit Kebede.
Reeyot Alemu (Ethiopia)
Reeyot Alemu is serving a five-year prison sentence in Ethiopia following an unfair trial in which she was charged with terrorism. She was a teacher and a columnist for Feteh, one of the few independent weekly newspapers in Ethiopia, at the time of her arrest. Evidence presented against Reeyot consisted primarily of online articles critical of the government and telephone discussions, notably regarding peaceful protest actions that do not amount to acts of terrorism. Alemu’s case is a strong example of Ethiopia’s use of its anti-terrorism law to silence journalists.
Buya Jammeh (The Gambia)
Buya Jammeh was a journalist in the Gambia reporting for the country’s pro-government newspaper Daily Observer. He was fired from the newspaper after he joined the executive body of the Gambia Press Union in 2008. He continued to serve on the press union's board when it published a statement denouncing callous remarks about the still-unpunished 2004 murder of a prominent Gambian journalist, Deyda Hydara. After several other journalists and editors were arrested for printing the statement, Jammeh fled the country. Jammeh lives in exile in Senegal, where he works for Radio Alternative Voice, which streams online independent radio concerning Gambia, and writes for the Africa News Agency
Anonymous (Rwanda)
A journalist and editor who was repeatedly threatened by Rwandan state authorities, labeled an enemy of the state, and convicted of defamation.
Abdelgadir Mohammed Abdelgadir (Sudan)
Abdelgadir is a journalist and advocate for media freedom and human rights in Sudan, where government authorities consistently harass and censor the media. Abdelgadir's articles have been censored on numerous occasions. He has been arrested three times for reporting on human rights issues, though never charged with a crime. Abdelgadir’s book on media freedom in Sudan, released this year, is banned from publication inside the country.
Silvanos Mudzvova (Zimbabwe)
Silvanos Mudzvova is a well known playwright, director, and actor in Zimbabwe. His work typically centers on issues of human rights, poverty, and governance, encouraging the poor to work for a change of government. His latest play, Protest Revolutionaries, portrays activists, students, farmers, and street vendors to show that all citizens have the power to have their voice heard.
Zimbabwe government officials have labeled Mudzvova and his plays “subversive,” arrested him numerous times, and confiscated his laptop and unpublished scripts. After death threats he went into exile for four months, but has returned to Zimbabwe and continues to produce work despite the highly repressive environment.
Buya Jammeh was a journalist in the Gambia reporting for the country’s pro-government newspaper Daily Observer. He was fired from the newspaper after he joined the executive body of the Gambia Press Union in 2008. He continued to serve on the press union's board when it published a statement denouncing callous remarks about the still-unpunished 2004 murder of a prominent Gambian journalist, Deyda Hydara. After several other journalists and editors were arrested for printing the statement, Jammeh fled the country. Jammeh lives in exile in Senegal, where he works for Radio Alternative Voice, which streams online independent radio concerning Gambia, and writes for the Africa News Agency
Anonymous (Rwanda)
A journalist and editor who was repeatedly threatened by Rwandan state authorities, labeled an enemy of the state, and convicted of defamation.
Abdelgadir Mohammed Abdelgadir (Sudan)
Abdelgadir is a journalist and advocate for media freedom and human rights in Sudan, where government authorities consistently harass and censor the media. Abdelgadir's articles have been censored on numerous occasions. He has been arrested three times for reporting on human rights issues, though never charged with a crime. Abdelgadir’s book on media freedom in Sudan, released this year, is banned from publication inside the country.
Silvanos Mudzvova (Zimbabwe)
Silvanos Mudzvova is a well known playwright, director, and actor in Zimbabwe. His work typically centers on issues of human rights, poverty, and governance, encouraging the poor to work for a change of government. His latest play, Protest Revolutionaries, portrays activists, students, farmers, and street vendors to show that all citizens have the power to have their voice heard.
Zimbabwe government officials have labeled Mudzvova and his plays “subversive,” arrested him numerous times, and confiscated his laptop and unpublished scripts. After death threats he went into exile for four months, but has returned to Zimbabwe and continues to produce work despite the highly repressive environment.
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