Tagged
Human Rights
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Images from the Politics and Olympics exhibition
Today we launch 'Politics and Olympics: Ideals and Realities', an exhibition of images from throughout the history of the modern Olympic Games. Despite setting out in its charter to separate itself from the politics of the day, commercial and political pressures have persistently left their mark on the Games throughout the history of the modern Olympic movement. As we unveil the exhibition in the main space at the Free Word Centre, we’re pleased to offer a selection of the images and stories from the programme here.
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“The black stage” Fagin, Jewishness and the Prison Cell
In his third and final film about Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, Professor Robert L. Patten explores the role of Fagin and the Jewish experience in Victorian England.
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“Stop Thief!” Oliver & Fagin’s Gang
Professor Robert L. Patten continues his exploration of the social and political resonances of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist in the second of our three exlusive short films.
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“Twist, I named him”
In the first of three exclusive short films, Professor Robert L. Patten introduces our new exhibition Conversations with a Twist and explores the political and social resonances of Dickens' seminal novel.
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Conversations with a Twist
Here at Free Word we are celebrating Charles Dickens' 200th birthday with a special exhibition in conjunction with the Charles Dickens Museum, Conversations with a Twist: Dickens, Oliver and Social Justice. This exhibition explores the relationship of Oliver Twist to wider social issues, including poverty, child labour, class and education. Much of the novel takes place in Clerkenwell, a stone'…
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China Inside Out: An Alternative Cultural Exchange
Who controls the flow of culture around the world? Who chooses what gets translated from one language to another – and why? Jonathan Heawood of English PEN introduces China Inside Out, a day of cultural exchange which offers alternative perspectives on China and Chinese writing.
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Unlocked: The Crisis in Prisons
Mel Jones reports from English PEN's 'Unlocked' debate, where Mark Haddon, Alex Wheatle and others explored the crisis in reading, writing and literacy in Britain's prisons.
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US piracy law could threaten human rights
As debates continue around the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), Cynthia M Wong reports for Index On Censorship that US policy makers must look more closely at whether the bill truly supports free expression.
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International media mission condemns Hungary
An International Partnership Mission of freedom of expression and media development groups, including Article 19 and Index on Censorship, concluded that Hungary’s new model of media regulation is undermining freedom of expression.
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Day of the Dead - London Vigil
Mexico has one of the leading numbers of journalist and media casualties in the world. The drug war has silenced those who threaten its cause, and innocent people are losing their lives. On Tuesday 2 November, PEN International along with English PEN and students from Kings College PEN group held a vigil for the persecuted, murdered and missing journalists of Mexico.
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Protection of journalists highlighted before Inter-American Commission
On October 27th 2011, ARTICLE 19's Mexico and Central America made a submission before the Inter American Commission of Human Rights 143 session to highlight the ongoing cycle of violence and the government’s failure to protect journalists and media workers. The following press release describes the outline of that submission.
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ARTICLE 19 to join Arab International Media Support delegation
In the wake of a tumultuous civil war, Executive Director of ARTICLE 19, Agnes Callamard, along with twelve other Arab and international media support specialists, toured the newly liberated Libya to help citizens understand their rights to free expression. The delegation team met with media practitioners for workshops dealing with issues of media law, audio visual regulation, media safety and free media. This press release details the preceding goals of the tour and its potential implications on Libyan media.
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Bahrain: Sentences upheld against jailed human rights defenders, writers and bloggers
English PEN reiterates its continued protest at the detention of academic, blogger and human rights activist Dr Abduljalil Al-Singace and human rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, whose life sentences for their peaceful opposition activities were confirmed on appeal by a military court on 28 September 2011. We are calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Dr Al-Singace and Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja for the…
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Imprisoned Burmese poet Zarganar released
The Burmese poet Zarganar, an honorary member of English PEN, has been released today as part of an amnesty for approximately 2,000 political prisoners.
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Yemeni press freedom activist Tawakel Karman wins Nobel Prize
ARTICLE 19 congratulates the joint recipients of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, including Tawakkul Karman for her inspiring work as head of press freedom organisation, Women Journalists Without Chains. “ARTICLE 19 is delighted that the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Karman, Johnson-Sirleaf and Gbowee, all renowned women’s rights activists. I am delighted that the Nobel Committee has recognised…
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Eynulla Fatullayev is Free
After an international free campaign led by English PEN, Azerbaijani editor Eynulla Fatullayev was pardoned by the government on 26 My 2011. Following his release, Pen said, "We no longer need to campaign for Fatullayev, but hundreds of other writers remain in prison or under threat."
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Tom Stoppard on the Belarus Free Theatre
British playwright Tom Stoppard introduces the Belarus Free Theatre at Free Word Centre. Established in 2005 by human rights activists Nikolai Khalezin and Natalia Koliada, Belarus Free Theatre is an underground theatre group from Europe’s last dictatorship. In this video, Stoppard praises their “absolute determination to express something important through the artform of theatre.” …
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Past Event: Culture Under Fire: Creative Resistance in Syria
Fri 16 Mar 2012
5:00pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
Reel Festivals returns for its fifth year with Reel Syria 2012, in association with Mosaic Initiative for Syria, supporting Syrian artists and showcasing Syrian culture to a UK audience. At a time when Syria is engulfed in violent conflict, the festival will present a nuanced portrait of the country and its people. On the anniversary of the uprising, Mosaic Initiative for…
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Past Event: Unlocked – The Crisis in Prisons
What can writers do?
Wed 8 Feb 2012
6:30pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
There’s a literacy crisis in the UK prison system and we need to do something about it. English PEN will be asking what role literature can play in our criminal justice system: What’s being done? What more can we do? Focusing on practical steps forward with a panel of leading experts and writers, this special English…
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Past Event: Matteo Pistono In the Shadow of the Buddha
Fri 9 Sep 2011
2:04pmVenue TBC
Author and undercover reporter Matteo Pistono discusses his book "In the Shadow of the Buddha", the story of how he became a covert human rights monitor in Tibet. Presented in association with Tibet Society. For nearly a decade, Pistono evaded Chinese security and took photos of prisons, obtained secret documents, and smuggled out firsthand interviews of torture victims and other…
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Past Event: The Shubbak Festival- El Problema: Testimony of the Saharawi People
Mon 11 Jul 2011
5:30pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
El Problema (The Problem, 53 mins) is a Spanish documentary, produced by Jordi Ferrer and Pablo Vidal, featuring testimonies and documents gathered over four and a half years in Western Sahara – clandestine images, given the Moroccan authorities’ prohibition of filming in the area. Using exceptional archival footage, the documentary tells the story of how hundreds of thousands of Saharawis from Western…
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Past Event: How Power Corrupts: Online Deliberation
Wed 11 May 2011
2:00pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
Panel discussion featuring Professor David Graeber (Goldsmiths), Tim Hardy (Sukey), Dr Ricardo Blaug (Westminster)Existing internet fora suffer hierarchy and corruption by power: who can be most scathing, who can post most frequently, who has had their blog referenced by mainstream media. The panel will consider: How can we challenge online power dynamics? What structures online forums and how can…