International Freedom of Expression Exchange: The global network for free expression
22 April 2008
TAKE ACTION! CONFRONT CHINA ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS WITH PEN'S POEM RELAY
For those of us who wanted to stand up against China's crackdown on freedom of expression ahead of the Olympic Games but can't get close enough to the torch protests, there is another way, thanks to International PEN's "poem relay".
"June", a poem written by imprisoned Chinese poet and journalist Shi Tao, is travelling via the Internet as part of a multi-continent tour by International PEN.
When "June" arrives in your country, you can read and hear it be read in your native language.
The virtual tour kicked off in Shi's hometown of Taiyuan City on 25 March. The poem has already been translated and recorded in more than 60 languages as it travels to PEN centres around the world, and will continue its journey until it reaches its final stop in Beijing - just in time for the Olympic Games. Next stop on the itinerary is the Philippines on 23 April.
Shi is serving a 10-year prison sentence for sending an email about Chinese media restrictions on the Tiananmen Square massacre. "June" commemorates the events of Tiananmen.
Check out the poem's progress and read and hear new translations as it arrives at its next destination here: http://www.penpoemrelay.org/
Also see International PEN's 2008 China campaign: http://tinyurl.com/4w2g37
(22 April 2008)
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