The Uruguay PEN Center shares with its partners and friends the latest PEN International positioning on the situation of freedom of the press and expression in the Americas.
Faced with the war crime perpetrated by Russia against Ukraine by attacking the Ria Lounge restaurant in the city of Kramatorsk with missiles, the Uruguay PEN Center joins the Ukraine PEN center and PEN international in mourning the death of the Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina. The writer was in the aforementioned restaurant at the time of the attack together with the Colombian writer Hector Abad Faciolince, and the former High Commissioner for Peace, Sergio Jaramillo. Both survived the attack.
In the following communiqués, which we will share their links below, two of them express themselves condemning the unacceptable, unfair, prison situation for journalists: José Rubén Zamora , a Guatemalan journalist critical of the government of President Alejandro Giammattei , and the Nicaraguan journalist, Víctor Ticay , imprisoned and accused of alleged crimes of «treason» and «cybercrimes» for the simple fact of having carried out a live broadcast of a religious procession last Holy Week.
British journalist and writer Dom Phillips, who was killed in the Brazilian Amazon while investigating indigenous territories, is also commemorated, with a video account by Mexican journalist Carmen Aristegui of Phillips’ story.
For its part, PEN America condemns the withdrawal of the book The Hill We Climb by the Young Poet Amanda Gorman, from Miami-Dade County Elementary School Libraries, Florida. Gorman read his poem » The Hill We Climb » (The hill we climbed), title of the censored book, at the inauguration of President Joe Biden at the age of 22.
Finally, the Myanmar Military Junta has confirmed that pro-democracy activist and writer, Kyaw Min Yu (also known as Ko Jimmy), would be executed by hanging after a closed-door military court. Centro PEN Uruguay joins PEN International’s call for the Military Junta to “ immediately annul Kyaw Min Yu ‘s death sentence and guarantee his right to defend himself in accordance with international fair trial standards.”
Read full press releases:
Ukraine: International PEN mourns the murder of writer and Ukraine PEN member Victoria Amelina
Guatemala: José Rubén Zamora Marroquín must be released immediately and unconditionally
Nicaragua: Organizations Condemn Imprisonment and Accusations Against Journalist Víctor Ticay
PEN PROTEST / DAY OF THE DEAD 2022 (video by Carmen Aristeguieta on the story of Dom Philips)
International PEN joins the condemnation of the censorship of Amanda Gorman’s poetry