Freedom in Burma, Justice in England

By Tom Goulding

January has been an exciting time for human rights campaigners around the world, and a promising start to 2012. In a significant step forward towards democratic reform, authorities in Burma have released over 600 political dissidents following international pressure for greater clemency in the country. The prisoners included prominent student leader Min Ko Naing, a central figure in Burma’s 1988 pro-democracy uprising, and Khun Tun Oo, chairman of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy who had been serving a 93-year sentence under the charge of high treason.

Burma has repeatedly been subjected to sustained periods of military rule since 1962, which have been accompanied by strict censorship, torture and forced labour. Since the appointment of a civilian government last year, talks have been in progress to lift current EU and US sanctions on the country; by releasing the prisoners, the Burmese government has started to meet the conditions that will end its isolation from the international community. A ceasefire has also been negotiated with the Karen National Union, though violent clashes between the government and other ethnic groups bordering Burma are still some way from being resolved.

Closer to home, English PEN has been celebrating the success of a campaign not to deport Cameroonian playwright Lydia Besong and her husband from the UK. Besong has written three plays dealing with her life as an asylum seeker and political oppression in Cameroon, where she was imprisoned for her involvement with the SCNC pressure group. There, she was subjected to torture and rape before seeking asylum in the UK in 2006.

The UK Border Agency’s decision to deport Besong and her husband received widespread condemnation, while leading British writers wrote to Home Secretary Theresa May to try and reverse the decision. Those who voiced their dissatisfaction with the Border Agency included Monica Ali, Hanif Kureishi, Nick Hornby and former children’s laureate and War Horse author Michael Morpurgo.

Besong, who was detained separately from her husband at Yarl’s Wood removal centre, told The Guardian that she feared returning to Cameroon following the success of her plays, and the indefinite incarceration that awaited her there. The decision was repealed on Friday 20^th January due to mounting public pressure, only hours before her scheduled deportation.

Yet for every victory against oppression, there are many more writers who can only enjoy creative freedom at the cost of their personal safety. A new year often means a new start; a time for resolutions, self-improvement, and a fresh perspective on life. What better way to start 2012 then, than to get involved with English PEN at Surrey? If you would like to learn more about what we do or become a member, make sure you visit our stall at Refreshers Fayre on Friday 10^th February, or go to Facebook.com/SurreyEnglishPEN.

PEN: Mightier Than the Sword

by Victoria Ashdown

‘Justice’ is defined in the English dictionary as ‘fairness or rightness in the treatment of other people.’ This is what we expect as part of our rights as a citizen: as a human being. However, there are many people to whom this definition of justice does not apply.

In many places around the world, people are being imprisoned simply for speaking their minds. Writers who express their opinion on politics or religion, and question the convictions of a higher authority are being abused and confined. What kind of person do you picture as a long-term convict? Someone who is a danger to others, to themselves? As you read this, somewhere in the world an innocent writer is being imprisoned, whose only crime was putting pen to paper.

The University of Surrey has recently created a society that supports PEN, an organisation that acts to help the wrongly imprisoned. As a society, we aim to raise awareness of the cause, promote freedom of speech and help those in less fortunate situations. In the 50 years English PEN has been established, it has provided invaluable support and given the gift of hope to the desperate. English PEN’s Writers in Prison Committee raises awareness through demonstrations, sends letters of appeal to authorities, aids the family of the imprisoned and helps in any way to improve the situation of the convict. Prisoners receive books and letters from PEN members, reminding them that they are not alone in their struggle.

Ai Weiwei, 53, is just one person who PEN is currently concerned with. He is an internationally acclaimed artist and was imprisoned in China in April 2011 due to unspecified ‘economic crimes’. It is widely believed that it came as a result to Ai’s complaints about the government. After his release in June, Ai was fined the extortionate sum of 12m Yuan (€1.3m). PEN is working to demolish this fine and free Ai from persecution.

English PEN also acts to give a voice to the oppressed through their Writers in Translation Programme. Their aim is to improve understanding between cultures and share the experience of people from contrasting backgrounds. This is achieved through translating and publishing texts from writers around the globe into English, so that their messages reach further. The organisation also works in schools and prisons to improve literacy, promote the positive influence of literature and encourage writers from disadvantaged backgrounds. They work with refugees, offenders and young people in the UK and offer them freedom of expression in the form of writing.

Freedom of speech is a gift that should not be abused: use yours.

Join English PEN at Surrey at: http://www.facebook.com/SurreyEnglishPEN.