Anar Niftaliyev


The Azerbaijani writer Anar Niftaliyev is a "wanted person".

In 2006, his novel
One Lifetime Struggle, which included the author's thoughts regarding former president Heydar Aliyev, was published.

The National Academy of Science Folklore appealed to the courts with a lawsuit claiming the book was defamatory. Niftaliyev says that they objected to the book on the grounds that it had "cast a shadow on H. Aliyev's personality".

In March 2008, the Sabayil District Court issued a decision calling for all copies of the book to be destroyed. When the police searched Niftaliyev's legal residence, they didn't find any copies of the book--nor did they find Niftaliyev.

Niftaliyev plans to appeal to Azerbaijan’s Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights regarding his case.

Cherish your freedom of speech and speak for those who are persecuted and silenced.

For more information see here.


Saw Wei (update 11/17)

.

A January 2008 issue of the magazine Love Journal featured a poem by the well-known Burmese poet Saw Wei. This "love poem" was also an acrostic poem, in which the first letter of each line are combined to spell a word or phrase. In this case, loosely translated: General Than Shwe is power-crazed. Saw Wei has been in prison for his criticism of the head of Burma's ruling junta since January and on November 10th, a two-year sentence was handed down.

For more information see here. In regard to formal protests see here (US) and here.
(Please note that Int. PEN recommends that protest NOT be sent directly to Burma, as it may prove counter affective).

‘February 14th’ by Saw Wei

Arensberg said:
Only once you have experienced deep pain
And madness
And like an adolescent
Thought the blurred photo of a model
Great art
Can you call it heartbreak.
Millions of people
Who know how to love
Please clap your gilded hands
And laugh out loud.

----------------
Trans. Anon
Code: the first syllables say Ar (Arensberg), Na (pain), Yu (mad), Gyi (great), Hmu (Blurred), Gyi (age/big), Than (million), Shwe (gilded)
Which spells
Ar-na-yu-gyi Hmu-gyi Than Shwe - Power-crazed Senior General Than Shwe(author retains copyright)