Banned books and other forms of censorship

China tightens internet censorship in Tibet

2010-08-06T15:12:00.000-07:00

From the Tibetan Review August 5:

"All internet cafes across Tibet have been ordered to finish installing by the end of Aug’10 a state-of-the-art surveillance system which would not only restrict contents that could be viewed by identified surfers but also monitor their internet activities. 'All the Internet cafes must now install it,' Radio Free Asia online Aug 3 quoted Chen Jianying, head of the customer service department of the industry group Internet Cafes Online, as saying.

"Under a nationwide scheme, which took effect Aug 1, second-generation identity cards belonging to the person using the Internet must be swiped to allow online access. Viewed content can then be traced back to that identity, using the surveillance system."

Click here for full text of article.

Indonesian court upholds ban on Australian movie Balibo

2010-08-06T15:07:00.000-07:00

An Indonesian court has upheld a ban in the country on the acclaimed Australian film Balibo which depicts Indonesian soldiers murdering five Australian journalists in East Timor in 1975.

"The film Balibo could incite political sensitivities in relations between countries," Judge Andri Mosepa said.

Click here for full text of article from the Herald Sun, August 5.

Khmer Rouge film to be shown in US, banned in Cambodia

2010-08-06T14:53:00.000-07:00

A documentary film Enemies of the People, about Nuon Chea and the Khmer Rouge murderous policies, banned in Cambodia, is coming to the United States to be shown. Thet Sambath, the film's producer, said he was repeatedly denied permission by the Ministry of Culture to show the film in Phnom Penh, with no explanation ever given. Click here for full text of article from Asia Times Online, August 6.

Banned book week coming up

2010-08-06T14:50:00.000-07:00

From School Library Journal, August 6:

"..The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) is urging booksellers and librarians around the country to participate in the September 25-October 2 awareness campaign aimed at celebrating the freedom to read.

"Last year, there were 460 book challenges, according to the American Library Association.."

Click here for full text of article.

Book on gay youth pulled from NJ library

2010-08-06T14:45:00.000-07:00

The book Revolutionary Voices: A Multicultural Queer Youth Anthology, described as "a collection of first-person essays by gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender teens, sharing their stories of coming out of the closet," has been removed from the the library at Rancocas Valley Regional High School in New Jersey.

Click here for full text of report, from the New York Daily News, August 4.

Protestant church to burn Koran(?)

2010-08-04T17:46:00.003-07:00

Amy Sullivan of Time reports, July 30:

"A conservative church in Florida is organizing "Burn a Qu'ran Day" to commemorate September 11, which happens to fall during Ramadan this year. Leaders at the Dove World Outreach Center say Islam is a "violent and oppressive religion," and in their own nod toward religious tolerance, they have invited Muslims to attend the Qu'ran-burning event to engage in dialogue..."

Click here for full text of blog, and here for article by Michelle Vu in the Christian Post, July 28.

Saudi Arabia lifts ban on Al-Gosaibi’s books

2010-08-04T17:37:00.000-07:00

From Arabnews.com:

"A ban on the sale of books authored by Minister of Labor Ghazi Al-Gosaibi has been lifted, announced Minister of Information Abdul Aziz Khoja on Facebook.

"Khoja wrote on his Facebook wall that it is inappropriate not to stock Al-Gosaibi’s intellectual writings in the Kingdom’s libraries.

"Al-Gosaibi’s books have been banned for several years but available in neighboring Arab countries such as Bahrain, Lebanon and Egypt. The minister of labor is currently receiving medical treatment at King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh. Among his controversial works is a collection of poetry called 'A Battle Without a Flag' and a novel called 'The Apartment of Freedom,' which tells the story of a group of young intellectuals who share an apartment in Cairo while at university.

"Abdo Khal, author of 'Spewing Sparks,' which won the international prize for Arabic fiction but is banned in the Kingdom, said he hopes the lifting of the ban on Al-Gosaibi’s books will pave the way for the writings of other authors to be allowed into the Kingdom..."

Click here for full text of article, published August 1.

Why Turkey banned Google

2010-08-04T17:30:00.000-07:00

From article by D. Vogi:

"Beginning in June 2010, the government of Turkey began restricting its citizens' ability to access websites owned by Google, beginning with YouTube and then extending to the company's other sites as well. Other affected services began with Google Books, Google Docs (Documents), Google Analytics (tracking software used by other websites), and Google Translate. YouTube itself has already been restricted in Turkey for years. The government's Transportation and Communication Ministry cited 'legal reasons' for the new ban, although critics were understandably quick to suspect that the real motive was censorship..."

Click here for full text.

Human Rights Watch awards dissident writers

2010-08-04T17:26:00.000-07:00

From a press release of Human Rights Watch today:

"Human Rights Watch announced Hellman/Hammett grants today for 42 writers from 20 countries in recognition of their commitment to free expression and courage in the face of political persecution.

"All are writers whose work and activism have been suppressed by their governments. Beyond their own experiences, they represent numerous other writers and journalists whose personal and professional lives have been disrupted as a result of repressive government policies that aim to control speech and publications..."

Click here for full text.

Chinese author to publish book critical of premier

2010-08-04T17:22:00.000-07:00

Cara Anna of Associated Press reports that dissident writer Yu Jie plans to publish a book in Hong Kong critical of China's premier Wen Jiabao despite police threats that he could be imprisoned. Anna says: "..Yu, 36, was a best-selling author before his books were banned in China not long after Wen became premier in 2003. Yu helped found the Independent PEN Center in China, which fights for freedom of expression, and is a vocal Christian who has angered authorities by outspokenly advocating religious freedom."

Click here for full text of article, published today.

Malaysia ban on political cartoon book challenged

2010-07-27T00:51:00.000-07:00

Book ban challenged
By S. Tamarai Chelvi

KUALA LUMPUR (July 26, 2010): Malaysiakini, and cartoonist Zunar's publishing company today filed separate applications for leave for judicial review against a government decision to ban Zunar's political cartoon books 1 Funny Malaysia and Perak Darul Kartun...

For full article click here :

Instructor of Catholicism claims loss of job violates academic freedom

2010-07-23T10:26:00.000-07:00

URBANA – An adjunct professor who taught courses on Catholicism at the University of Illinois has lost his teaching job there, and he claims it is a violation of his academic freedom.

Kenneth Howell was told after the spring semester ended that he would no longer be teaching in the UI's Department of Religion. The decision came after a student complained about a discussion of homosexuality in the class in which Howell taught that the Catholic Church believes homosexual acts are morally wrong...

Click here for full article.

Malaysia's press censorship

2010-07-23T10:25:00.001-07:00

Thursday, 15 July 2010

The growing power of the Internet probably means government censorship of opposition newspapers is pointless

The recent controversy surrounding the Malaysian government's crackdown on the opposition parties' publications Suara Keadilan and Harakah rekindles the need for some much-deserved attention on the state of press freedom, or the lack of it, in the country.

Under the terms of Malaysia's Printing Presses and Publications Act, it is a criminal offense to possess or use a printing press without a license from the Home Affairs Minister. Possession or use of an unlicensed press subjects the user to imprisonment for up to three years and/or fines up to RM20,000 (US$6,240) plus forfeiture of the deposit for the license...

Click here for full article.

Banned books painting exhibit

2010-07-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

Washington, DC artist Dana Ellyn will have a solo exhibition of her recent paintings, "Banned", at the Martin Luther King Library from June 20 through July 31, 2010. The exhibit will coincide with the annual conference of the American Library Association, which is taking place in Washington, DC June 24 through June 30...

Click here for full text, which also includes paintings and video. My apologies for not posting this sooner.

Vietnam: Independent magazine keeps publishing despite harassment

2010-07-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

Reporters Without Borders voices its full support for the writers and editors of To Quoc (http://www.to-quoc.net), an independent fortnightly that has managed to keep appearing in print and online despite a campaign of threats and harassment. One of its founders told Reporters Without Borders the threats were part of a “dangerous plans by the conservatives” before the Communist Party’s next congress...

Click here for full report (published last April).

British author of death penalty book held in Singapore

2010-07-22T14:09:00.001-07:00

Singapore police have arrested the British author of a book about the city-state's use of the death penalty.

Alan Shadrake, 75, is being detained on criminal defamation charges which carry a two-year prison sentence...

Click here for full report.

Mumbai congress will block Laine book, Sena style

2010-07-22T13:59:00.000-07:00

The Congress is ready to enforce a ban on James Laine’s book on Shivaji, ‘Sena style’. State Congress chief Manikrao Thakre said on Tuesday that his party’s workers would not allow sale or circulation of the book. The Supreme Court had on Friday upheld the Bombay High Court’s verdict quashing the state ban imposed in 2003...

Click here for full text.

Cambodia bans ‘Political’ textbooks

2010-07-22T13:56:00.000-07:00

THE Ministry of Information plans to pull two study books from bookshelves across the country after receiving a letter from Education Minister Im Sethy saying that they contain unsuitable “political” content...

Click here for full article.

‘Lamhaa’ Banned In Middle East Before July 16 Release

2010-07-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

India, Mumbai, India (AHN) – National Award winning Director Rahul Dholakia’s latest Bollywood action thriller, Lamhaa, is all set for release on July 16 worldwide. However, the Middle East viewers will not be able to watch the movie since the UAE National Media Council Censorship Board banned its screening in Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Bahrain and Oman because of its highly objectionable and controversial subject...

Click here for full article.

Michael Savage still banned from UK

2010-07-22T13:53:00.000-07:00

He's still on Britain's least-wanted list.

Talk radio host Michael Savage has waged a vigorous fight against the British government, hoping to have his name removed from a list of 16 "undesirables" banned from the country on May 5, 2009, by then British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith...

Click here for full article.

Malaysia bans political cartoons critical of government

2010-07-22T13:51:00.000-07:00

Malaysia banned three works of political cartoons that criticize the government, but one of the artists said Friday he was obligated to highlight issues other cartoonists would not.

The government said the cartoons in two books and a magazine posed a security threat.

Malaysia has banned dozens of publications in recent years, but usually because of sexual content or alleged misrepresentation of Islam, its official religion. But the latest ban is certain to spark complaints that the government is disallowing critical views....

Click here for full article.

Singapore censorship

2010-07-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

In a space of a month, Singapore authorities caused a major uproar when they banned a film of an ex-political prisoner and arrested a British author who wrote a book about the death penalty in Singapore...

Click here for full article.

India State’s faulty note leads to lifting of ban on Shivaji book

2010-07-22T13:46:00.000-07:00

The Maharashtra government’s faulty notification led to the lifting of the ban on American author James W. Laine’s book on Shivaji. A bench headed by Justice D.K Jain, which dismissed the state’s petition against a Bombay High Court verdict lifting the ban on the book Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India, said the notification was “too vague” to withstand legal scrutiny...

Click here for full article.

Publishers sue Va. prisons for banning law guide

2010-07-22T13:44:00.000-07:00

Virginia prison officials have unconstitutionally banned inmates from receiving a book that teaches them how to file lawsuits concerning mistreatment or poor prison conditions, the book's publishers claim in a lawsuit filed Wednesday...

Click here for full article.

Bombay court upholds ban on Islam book

2010-01-13T13:49:00.000-08:00

The Bombay high court of India upheld in a Jan. 6 decision a ban issued in March 2007 by the state of Maharashtra against the book, Islam — A concept of Political World Invasion by R.V. Bhasin. The court said the book was banned not simply for criticizing Islam, but because its critique was not "bona fide or academic" and that it was written with malicious intent, declaring it to be an “aggravated form of criticism made with a malicious and deliberate intention to outrage the feelings of Muslims." It said freedom of expression guaranteed in India's constitution could not be abused to trigger “senseless destruction of lives and property and breach of public order." It declared as objectionable passages of the book about Jihad, the Quran, Mohammed Paigamber, Indian Muslims, and religious conversions. The court's decision said in part:

"NOW, THEREFORE, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 95 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974), in its application to the State of Maharashtra, the Government of Maharashtra hereby declares that every copy of the said Book “ISLAM – A Concept of Political World Invasion by Muslims” as well as the relevant translation thereof as the translated Book – “ISLAM RAJNAITIK VISHWA PAR MUSLIM AKRAMAN KI AVADHARANA” shall be banned and forfeited to the Government."

Bhasin vowed to appeal the case to India's Supreme Court.

Critics of the court's decision say it is not the book which was malicious but the "politically driven furor" against it, as one writer put it.

At least 10,000 copies were printed when the book was published in 2003. Police raided the office in 2007 and confiscated all available copies.

Sources: DNAIndia.com, Jan. 7 [Mayura Janwalkar], Jan. 9 [Kareena N Gianani]; OutlookIndia.com [Sundeep Dougal], Jan. 9, with link to full text of court judgment.

Cameroon radio program threatened

2009-02-02T13:01:00.000-08:00

A Cameroon military official has urged authorities of Cameroon Radio and Television (CRTV) to remove a Sunday morning radio program, "Cameroon Calling", for its critical reporting on Cameroon government officials. The military official claimed the program harbors a nest of rebels against the station. A Cameroon deputy in the National Assembly is also pressuring the radio program to discipline one senior journalist, Guy Roger Eba, for broadcasting a controversial story about him. The program has run into trouble before with authorities: Tehwi Lambiv was fired in March after he asked a question of a government official considered embarrassing and casting doubt on the country's electoral process; and the entire program crew was arrested in 1990 for broadcasting a program on multi-party politics.

Source: Icicemac.com, Jan. 26.

Assam: Book offending religious leader banned

2009-02-02T12:12:00.000-08:00

India's northeastern state of Assam has banned a book considered offensive to Sankaradeva, a 16th century Vaishnavaite saint-reformer of the region. The state is also considering legal action against the author, while religious leaders demand his punishment. The book, Sankar Bibhrat by Srikanta Deva Sarma, a Guwahati-based priest, pointed out contradictions in other books written about Sankaradeva. It is said to have sparked large-scale religious protests around the state.

Source: Indian Express, Jan. 27, 2009; Assam Tribune, Jan. 19.

Salute to David Durant, the Heretical Librarian

2008-07-08T12:31:00.001-07:00

David Durant has brought his Heretical Librarian blog to an end, at least for the moment. My impression is that he will be fulfilling a military obligation over the next year and a half.

David's site was one of the few blogs maintained by a conservative librarian. As he noted in an earlier posting, there are not many librarian blogs written from a conservative perspective. Fortunately, David will keep his site up, and I will therefore keep my link to his site, as it is a valuable resource for researchers. David has excelled most particularly in documenting human rights abuses in the Islamic world, but I also enjoyed his skewing of some prominent individuals within the American Library Association who have at times been politically doctrinaire, and have not always demonstrated tolerance of dissenting views, particularly with regard to Cuba.

David has worked as head librarian of government documents and microform of East Carolina University. In the Sept. 30, 2005 edition of the Chronicle of Higher Education, he commented on "the stifling left-wing orthodoxy of modern American librarianship":

"The problem is not that most librarians have liberal or leftist views. It is that the overwhelming prevalence of such views has created a politicized atmosphere of groupthink and even intolerance, in which left-wing politics permeate the library profession and are almost impossible to avoid.

"In conversations with colleagues, on library e-mail lists, and at professional conferences, liberal and leftist attitudes are shoved in your face. Because most librarians are left-of-center politically, they automatically assume that you are as well. After all, only benighted Red State theocrats could possibly have voted for Bush. You quickly learn to keep your opinions to yourself, except among colleagues whom you know well..."

Needless to say, his article was not too well received within certain quarters of the American Library Association.

My best wishes and appreciation go with David Durant.

ALA resolution on Cuba

2008-06-15T15:40:00.000-07:00

Five years ago, in March 2003 the Cuban government launched one of its harshest crackdowns, arresting 75 dissidents and sentencing them to up to 25 years in jail after blatantly unfair political trials. Major human rights organizations such as Amnesty International strongly protested this event. Within the American Library Association, the trials were a matter of some controversy because some of those arrested and tried had been involved in a movement to establish independent libraries in the country.

Proponents of this movement felt the ALA was obliged to join with various human rights groups in demanding their immediate release. But some others, primarily activists who consider themselves progressive and belong to the Social Responsibilities Round Table, opposed any action on behalf of these prisoners of conscience.

The result was a compromise of sorts, in which the ALA went on record as expressing "its deep concern over the arrest and long prison terms of political dissidents in Cuba in spring 2003 and urges the Cuban Government to respect, defend and promote the basic human rights defined in Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights." It also joined with the International Federation of Library Associations in calling "for an investigative visit by a special rapporteur of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights with special attention given to freedom of access to information and freedom of expression, especially in the cases of those individuals recently imprisoned and that the reasons for and conditions of their detention be fully investigated." In addition the 2003 ALA resolution/report urged the U.S. to end its embargo on Cuba and other hostile policies.

Now, five years later, should the ALA issue any kind of statement of concern regarding the same situation? Normally, when an organization expresses its deep concern over unfair trials and harsh prison sentences handed out to dissidents, it doesn't then drop the issue completely and never bring it up again. To do so would be hypocritical because such inaction would indicate the organization doesn't care at all about these prisoners. But such inaction is exactly what the so-called progressives within the ALA have urged in opposing a new resolution submitted to the ALA council which demands the immediate release of the remaining prisoners of conscience from this 2003 crackdown.

In contrast, Amnesty International issued last March its commentary on the 2003 crackdown, in which it said:

"On the 5th anniversary of the largest crackdown against political opponents in Cuba, Amnesty International today called on the new Cuban president to immediately release the 58 dissidents still being held in jails across the country, many for contacting journalists and human rights defenders.

"'The only crime committed by these 58 is the peaceful exercise of their fundamental freedoms. Amnesty International considers them to be prisoners of conscience. They must be released immediately and unconditionally,' said Kerrie Howard, deputy director for Amnesty International's Americas program...

"..Fifty-five of the 58 current prisoners of conscience in Cuba are the remainder of a group of 75 people jailed during a massive crackdown against the dissident movement in March 2003.

"Most were accused of 'acts against the independence of the state,' charged with publishing articles or giving interviews to U.S.-funded media, communicating with international human rights organizations and having contact with groups or individuals considered hostile to Cuba. The men were sentenced to between six and 28 years behind bars after what were considered dubious trials. So far, 20 have been released on medical grounds.."

Those who oppose the independent library movement in Cuba saw the failure of the ALA to take a less equivocal stand against the 2003 crackdown as a victory for their side, that is by the ALA not calling for the release of these prisoners but only expressing its deep concern over the trials and imprisonment of these individuals. That in itself is a sad commentary on a rather authoritarian, pro-dictator mindset among some ALA members; but the fact remains that there is nothing inconsistent with the ALA expressing its concern over this crackdown and then calling for the release of these prisoners. One is a logical extension of the other. At the very least, the ALA should inquire over the remaining prisoners, especially those affiliated with the independent library movement; and ask why a UN special rapporteur has not been allowed to visit the country to investigate the situation of these prisoners.

Vietnam reporters arrested for corruption reporting

2008-05-26T21:35:00.001-07:00

Two reporters with the state sponsored Thanh Nien and Tuoi Tre newspapers of Vietnam have been arrested for their reporting on a major corruption scandal in the country. Both newspapers have protested strongly, which is unusual under the circumstances. The arrested reporters are Thanh Nien’s Nguyen Viet Chien and Tuoi Tre’s Nguyen Van Ha. They are charged with “abuse of power.”

The Economist noted:

In an unprecedented show of defiance, both newspapers are standing by their reporters. Thanh Nien has run an editorial demanding: “Free the honest journalists.” It says it has been “swamped” with messages of support from the public and some National Assembly members. It challenges the authorities to explain why, if the offending articles had been so inaccurate, none of the police, prosecutors and the ministry of public security had got around to pointing out the errors at any time in the past two years.

Chinese dissident writers interviewed

2008-05-26T21:22:00.000-07:00

The Washington Post interviews dissident writers Ma Jian, 54, Xiaolu Guo, in its May 25 edition; both of them now living in London. Ma comments that his "work has been banned in China since my first book about Tibet, Stick Out Your Tongue[1985], became the target of an enormous government campaign in which all copies were destroyed." He is able to visit China but not able to write or speak out there. Guo, who is also a flimmaker, says: "film censorship is much stricter than literary censorship. There are only 200 official films a year, so none of my films has been shown there. My art criticism and film theory were received all right, and my two latest novels [ 20 Fragments of a Ravenous Youth and A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers] will be published there soon. I'm not sure if the sex will be censored." See also Los Angeles Times, for a review of Ma's book, Beijing Coma, about a survivor of the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement, who is "lying in a coma, a bullet in his brain. A piece of his skull remains in the hospital refrigerator; soft spongy skin has grown over the wound. He is blind, mute and paralyzed but still able to hear. From his bed, he recalls his youth and the 1989 occupation of Tiananmen Square, where he was shot."

Book banning in Iran

2008-05-26T18:45:00.000-07:00

Jahanshah Rashidian of the France-based Iran Press Service comments May 19 on large scale book banning in Iran:

Recalling not only the book-burning of 1933 by the Nazis, but also the early invasion of Islam in Iran, the regime launched in 1980 a cultural revolution to alienate Iranians from their pre-Islamic great civilisation by islamo-arbising the whole Iranian culture. Following the cultural revolution, bands of Hezbollahis and Islamists attacked, destroyed and burnt libraries in Iran. Millions of books were destroyed, and thousands of allegedly readers of such books were imprisoned or executed.

Not only the Islamic Republic of Iran's Ministry of Islamic guidance and Culture now censors some of Iran's best contemporary writers and researchers, such as Sadegh Hedayat, Sadegh Choobak, Ebrahim Golestan, Gholamhossein Sa’aedi, Ahmad Kasravi, Ali Dashti, Ebrahim Poordavoud, Zabih Behrouz, and others, but even in the recent years, they removed parts and whole pieces of works by well-known poets such as Souzani Samarghandi, Omar Khayam, Molana Jalaledin Rumi, Nezami Ganjavi, Abid Zakani, Iradj Mirza, and even some lexicons from Ali Akbar Dehkhoda and Farhang Mo’in as non-Islamic.

Independent bookstore in Moscow challenged

2008-05-26T18:38:00.001-07:00

Moscow News reports, May 15, on the many challenges faced by the Falanster bookstore in Moscow, which has faced many challenges in the years since it was opened in 2002: "It has undergone numerous inspections to check books on its shelves for conformity with the law on extremism, pornography and drug enforcement. Moreover, three years ago, the old store in Bolshoi Kozikhinsky Pereulok burnt down one night, allegedly as a result of a deliberate hand grenade explosion. The culprits were never found." The store reopened in another location, but in Dec. last year it was almost closed on charges (apparently unsustantiated) that it sold pornographic works, and this month was raided by the police. Radio Moscow comments:

What's good about having independent bookstores like Falanster? First, they can sell books put out by small publishers that would find it extremely difficult to get their books to the market elsewhere, especially in a market getting monopolized by huge publishing houses and huge bookstore chains.

Second, stores like Falanster are not as afraid as bigger stores of carrying "risky" titles that may be condemned or even banned.

Independent library movement in Cuba

2008-05-26T18:29:00.000-07:00

Marijke van der Meer of Radio Netherlands also reports, May 16, on the independent library movement in Cuba and the support it has received from the Dutch-based Pax Christi. Marianne Moor, a spokesperson for Pax Christi, says:

What we do is send volunteers to see what is needed and then we ask Dutch tourists who go to Cuba to take the books with them in their backpack and personally deliver them to one of the independent libraries. One tourist we spoke with dropped off books in a library they found in a very small house in a poor neighborhood in Santa Clara, and she said the experience was both "very special" and also "a little bit freaky":

A man opened the door. He looked very nervous but he was happy to see us and to hear that we were bringing books. He then very proudly showed us his library, a small room with two bookshelves and a small table. He also showed us very proudly a box with cards in it, with the names of the people who come to borrow books, and he told us it was not safe to have this box in his house. So every night he brought it somewhere else so that when the police came it was not clear who was borrowing books.

Iranian author profiled

2008-05-26T18:24:00.000-07:00

From Radio Netherlands, May 16:

"Shahrnush Parsipur is considered one of the most important writers in the Persian language today. But her books are all banned in her native Iran, and she now lives in exile in the United States..." Click here for the rest of the article by Marijke van der Meer.

The Berkeley City Council and U.C. Berkeley

2008-02-14T13:29:00.000-08:00

Many here may be aware of a controversy over the last week concerning a decision by the Berkeley city council of California to send a letter to a Marine recruiting center established in downtown Berkeley that it is not welcome here, and then to provide a free parking space in front of the center, along with a weekly demonstration permit, to Code Pink. YouTube videos have shown various demonstrations, including members of another antiwar group, World Can't Wait, blocking entrance to the Marine recruiting center.

This has inflamed national sentiments and led to a strong reaction in the form of the Semper Fi Act of 2008, legislation which would deprive Berkeley and UC Berkeley of somewhere over $2 million in recently earmarked funds, including $243,000 for a Berkeley school lunch program to promote organic and healthy diets; $243,000 for the Ed Roberts Campus, a project that houses offices for disability organizations; $750,000 for water ferry service planned from Berkeley to San Francisco; $94,000 for a police and fire emergency communications system; and $975,000 to the UC Berkeley Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service.

Personally, I think the city council should have the right to say whatever it likes about the Marine recruiting center without fear of losing funding; I also believe that the recruiting center should be allowed to function and people who are curious or interested should be allowed to visit it. But this legislative reaction is way over the top, punishing many people who have nothing to do with the Berkeley City Council and in some cases don't even live in Berkeley.

The issue over the Matsui center is also a library related issue, as it involves donated papers of the late U.S. Congressman Robert T. Matsui, "including documentation of legislative efforts surrounding the North American Free Trade Agreement, welfare reform, base closures and Japanese-American reparations, to be housed at the University of California, Berkeley's Bancroft Library." Click here for press release.

UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau says: "This will be the largest collection of papers at The Bancroft Library from a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and it will be highly valued by our students and faculty and by visiting researchers."

Birgeneau has written to the 52 elected officials in Washington DC sponsoring this Semper Fi legislation, explaining that UC Berkeley has nothing to do with the actions of the Berkeley City Council, but it appears that those pushing this legislation don't care, and want to make this into another battering ram kind of election year campaign issue.

Today's Contra Costa Times also reported on the controversy.

- Steve Denney
library assistant, U.C. Berkeley

Pretoria High Court lifts ban on apartheid book

2007-12-14T08:36:00.000-08:00

The Pretoria High Court has lifted a temporary ban on the book, White Power — the Rise and Fall of the National Party, by Christi van der Westhuizen. The temporary ban had been ordered at the behest of Eugene de Kock, an apartheid-era policeman who had objected to a passage which described him as eating and drinking for hours next to "a corpse they had set on fire." De Kock, who had been sentenced in 1886 to two life terms plus 212 years imprisonment for offences committed in the apartheid years, said the passage was totally untrue. Author Christi van der Westhuizen hailed the court's lifting of the ban as a victory for freedom of expression. (Source: iafrica.com)

Thailand: pro-democracy book banned

2007-10-24T14:42:00.000-07:00

Thai police have banned and confiscated copies of a book by long time social critic, Sulak Sivaraksa, titled A Quarter of a Century of Thai Politics: A Thorn-filled Path. The Special Branch police ordered Sulak on October 2 to stop printing, selling and disseminating the book, citing Thailand's 1941 Printing Law, which authorizes police to censor and stop publications that are deemed a threat to peace, public safety or public morals. Sulak is a well known Buddhist social activist who has been persecuted before for his criticism of Thai politics and the monarchy.

Cuba censorship has crippled creative thought, says Tariq Ali

2007-10-24T11:29:00.000-07:00

An interesting leftist perspective on Cuba censorship is offered by Tariq Ali in Counterpunch. While the thrust of his article is highly critical of President Bush and his announcement that Fidel Castro being succeeded by his brother Raul is not acceptable to the U.S., Ali also said:

"State censorship is not only deeply unpopular but has crippled creative thought on the island. The new opening has brought all the old contradictions to the fore. Cuban film-makers are publicly challenging the bureaucrats... That the Cuban system needs to be reformed is widely accepted in the country. I have been told often that the decision 'forced on us by the embargo' to follow the old Soviet model was 'not beneficial.' The choice now is Washington or Caracas. And while a tiny layer of the Cuban elite will be tempted by the dollars, most Cubans would prefer a different model. They will not wish to see an end to their health and education systems, but they do want more economic and political diversity, even though the model of the Big Neighbour under whose shadow they live does not exactly offer that choice."

Uzbekistan: severe religious literature censorship

2007-10-24T10:56:00.000-07:00

Felix Corley of Forum 18 reports that Uzbekistan maintains a policy of severe censorship against religious literature, including the burning of books:

"Uzbekistan continues to maintain severe religious literature censorship, Forum 18 News Service notes. Current examples include two shipments of Jehovah's Witness literature – one in transit for Tajikistan and one intended for an Uzbek congregation – which have been held for more than a year. Other religious communities, such as Protestants and Muslims, also experience problems. A Protestant, involved in sending literature requested by Christians in Uzbekistan, told Forum 18 that most shipments never arrived. 'This was either through postal inefficiency or because it was rejected at Uzbek customs,' the Protestant stated. 'So we have given up trying to send literature.' Many who would like to receive literature are afraid of the consequences of being identified by the authorities as Christians, from their receiving literature by post. Uzbek officials are reluctant to discuss the issue, but insist that religious material can only be received after specific approval by the state Religious Affairs Committee. Uzbekistan frequently burns religious literature, including the Bible, confiscated from Muslims, Protestants, Hare Krishna devotees and Jehovah's Witnesses. Even legally imported literature is confiscated in police raids."

Turkey genocide of Armenians and Islamo-Fascism awareness week

2007-10-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

I was watching David Horowitz on a news show a few days ago in which he was describing his plans for Islamo-Fascism awareness week, to take place next week on college campuses across America. He complained that the left was trying to censor these events and implied that the left was in collusion with Islamic extremists. I certainly support his right to speak freely and for these events to take place without disruption.

Meanwhile, however, the Bush administration and Republican leaders oppose a proposed congressional resolution which has passed the House Foreign Affairs committee, opposing the "deportation of nearly 2 million Armenians from the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923, resulting in the deaths of 1.5 million of them, amounted to 'genocide.'" see: http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/10/us.turkey.armenians/index.html

The concern is that if passed by the full House, this will hurt our relationship with Turkey, a key ally in the Iraq conflict, which has strongly protested this non-binding resolution, and has also recalled its ambassador to the U.S. for consultation in protest of the vote.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi has vowed to press on with a full vote on the resolution, stating "there's never been a good time" to vote on the resolution, but that it is important to pass the resolution now, "because many of the survivors are very old." Meanwhile, U.S. Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell seemed to confirm Pelosi's position that there has "never been a good time" for Congress to pass such a resolution when he stated: "But I don't think the Congress passing this resolution is a good idea at any point. But particularly not a good idea when Turkey is cooperating with us in many ways, which ensures greater safety for our soldiers." McConnell also stated incorrectly that the event occurred 100 years ago, when actually it took place between 1915 and 1923. See: http://edition.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/14/us.turkey/

So, while we may rightly condemn students and off-campus radicals who disrupt college events denouncing Islamo-fascism, here we have the largest event of Islamo-fascism in modern history, a prelude in its magnitude of mass killings to the Nazi holocaust, yet America is not supposed to take note of this genocidal event because it might disrupt our relations with Turkey and hurt the Iraq war effort. And according to Senator McConnell, this resolution would not be a "good idea at any point," which implies that even after the Iraq war ends, if that actually happens, there will be still be no appropriate time to denounce Turkey's genocide of Armenians.

Is this not a case of self-censorship of much larger proportion?

In Turkey itself, it is illegal to describe the mass killings of Armenians during this time as genocide. Hrant Dink, a Turkish-Armenian who was convicted under Article 301 for violating this law, accused of insulting Turkish identity, was subsequently murdered by a Turkish nationalist for his writings.

It is incorrect to state that the left is suppressing awareness of Islamic extremism, when the Bush administration and the Republican leadership oppose any official protest of the worst case of Islamic extremism in modern history.

Journalist murdered in Oakland

2007-08-14T13:40:00.000-07:00

A journalist was shot several times by a masked gunman, in broad daylight in downtown Oakland August 2, apparently in connection with a story he was writing about an offshoot Black Muslim group, most known for its business, Your Black Muslim Bakery. Police raided the bakery the following day and arrested seven people, charging one of them with the murder. The murdered reporter was Chauncey Bailey, age 57, editor of the Oakland Post.

Refocusing my efforts

2007-04-28T07:13:00.000-07:00

I regret to announce that I am taking an extended leave of absence from this blog, Banned Books and Other Forms of Censorship, in order to focus my efforts on my other blog, Vietnam Human Rights Journal. My reason for doing so is that, just as my blogging is voluntary work done on my free time, so is my work for Amnesty International USA as its Vietnam country specialist. Given that I have a limited amount of free time, and given that Vietnam is in the midst of a major crackdown on dissidents, I believe it is important now for me to focus my blogging on Vietnam. I will still be writing about book banning and other forms of censorship, but just focused on Vietnam.

I had thought about retiring this blog altogether, but do not have the heart to do so. The topic is important, and unfortunately there are many ongoing cases today of book banning and other forms of censorship all over the world. The links I provide here for the most part do a good job in documenting such repression, particularly David Durant's Heretical Librarian and Elaine Anderson's Fahrenheit 451.

I may come back here on an irregular basis, perhaps every few months, to post something of importance. Perhaps at some point in the future I will resume posting here regularly. But for now those interested in reading what I write on the topic of censorship should visit my other blog, Vietnam Human Rights Journal.

My thanks go out to those who have encouraged me in my writings and who have linked me to their blogs.

Censorship in the American Library Association

2007-04-25T12:54:00.000-07:00

A controversy has erupted within the American Library Association and more particularly its sub-group, the Social Responsibilities Round Table, over a mailing just before the annual election for ALA council members. In the mailing, organized by SRRT member Elaine Harger but mailed from the SRRT c/o the ALA's address in Chicago, a card was sent to all SRRT members informing them of SRRT members who were running for ALA council. Two names were left off: Harger's and Greg McClay. When the controversy came out in the SRRT Action Council email forum, Harger informed McClay:

"Your name is not included because I could not in good conscience play any role in votes being cast for you by anyone who is unaware of your hostility toward everything that SRRT stands for. The other name left off the list was my own, because I also could not in good conscience accrue any possible votes myself while depriving someone else (even you) of the same."

In discussion on the ALA council list and in the SRRTAC forum, criticism was directed at Greg McClay because it was felt his politically conservative views made him an outsider, a disrupter within the SRRT, whose only purpose in joining the organization was to undermine it. One poster to the SRRT list compared him to David Duke, another said:

"Neo-fascists should have no free speech. They deserve the business end of a baseball bat."

The above remark was an extreme example of a deeper problem within the ALA and SRRT, the notion that ALA members who want to engage in activism on what they consider to be socially responsible issues can do so only if they do so from within a left of center context. To me, a roundtable within the ALA should be a place where people of different political views can come together and discuss their ideas and then move forward with some consensus on certain proposals, like maybe the U.S. Congress, or for that matter the ALA Council. But the presumption here seems to be that the SRRT is more like a political party within the ALA, say the Green Party, and that only those who share the general political mindset of the SRRT leadership are welcome to participate, others are considered outsiders intent on undermining the organization.

Greg McClay is much more conservative than me, but I have also been made to feel unwelcome in that organization because of my support for the independent library movement in Cuba and my opposition to the 2003 political crackdown on dissidents in the same country, in which individuals were sentenced up to 20 years in prison following quick political show trials, a crackdown which has been condemned by Amnesty International and every other major human rights group, but which has been defended by certain prominent SRRT Action Council members who are also on the ALA council. That such individuals could then set themselves up as arbiters on what constitutes socially responsible activism within the ALA is in itself highly ironic.

It is time for the ALA council to recognize that no one within the organization has a lock on what constitutes socially responsible activism within the ALA, and that Greg McClay or any other conservative, or moderate for that matter, has just as much right to fully participate in the one organization set up for this purpose, the Social Responsibilities Round Table, as do its current leaders. Otherwise, the ALA should encourage the development of alternative social responsibilities round tables for those who do not share the leftist political views of the current SRRT leadership.

UN Human Rights Council urges limits to free expression

2007-04-17T15:34:00.000-07:00

A resolution passed March 30 by the UN Human Rights Council stated that freedom of expression can be restricted in order "to ensure respect for religions and convictions." It was passed by 24 council members, with 14 against and 9 abstentions. It was sponsored by Pakistan, on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC); other supporters included China, Russia, Mexico and South Africa.

Source: Article 19 newsletter, Winter 2006-Spring 2007; news via posting of Mark Perkins to FAIFE-L list.

Australia: new legislation to ban terrorist videos, books

2007-04-17T15:08:00.000-07:00

The Australian federal and state govenments agreed last Friday to enact new legislation to ban the sale of books, DVDs and other materials that advocate terrorism. Under the law, writers, publishers and distributors would not be liable to arrest, but circulation of such material would be banned. The country already has a law that allows officials to remove from sale materials that "promote, incite or instruct (people) in matters of crime or violence."

Source: Associated Press/International Tribune, April 13.

Anti-Semitic attacks increase worldwide

2007-04-17T14:40:00.000-07:00

There was a sharp increase last year in anti-Semitic attacks around the world, according to the annual report of the Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Anti-Semitism and Racism at Israel's Tel Aviv University. It reported 590 instances of violence or vandalizm against Jews last year, the highest since 2000. In Britain, there were 100 such attacks, the highest in 20 years. It said the attackers were primarily Muslim immigrants and extreme right-wing youths. It also said the physical attacks against Jews more than doubled over 2005, from 130 to 270: "Such assaults, which took place mostly in schools, at the work place and in streets near Jewish institutions, were usually randomly perpetrated when an opportunity presented itself."

Sources: UPI, April 15; annual report of Stephen Roth Institute.

Kaffir Boy removed from curriculum in Burlingame

2007-04-12T17:43:00.000-07:00

An award winning book describing the gritty life of a boy growing up in South Africa before coming to America where he became a tennis player has been banned from the curriculum of Burlingame Intermediate School in northern California (my alma mater), because of a two-paragraph graphic passage describing boys having sex with men in order that they could eat. The book, Kaffir Boy, by Mark Mathabone and published in 1986, is number 31 in the American Library Association's list of 100 most frequently challenged books in America from 1990 to 2000. The book had been used in the 8th grade class the previous year without challenge. Students were allowed to skip the graphic sections when and if they become uncomfortable, said the school's principle Ted Barone. However, the school district superintendent decided to remove the book from the curriculum late last month after parents complained about the passage.

From my eighth grade days some 45 years ago at the same school, I don't recall what books we were required to read, but do recall reading for extra credit Herman Melville's beautifully written novel Typee, which has been described as being about fish, sex and cannibalism. I learned many new words from reading that book.

Sources: San Mateo Times, April 10; San Diego Union Tribune, April 12.

Zimbabwe: Attacks against dissidents on the rise

2007-04-09T18:19:00.000-07:00

Today's New York Times reports an increasing number of physical attacks against dissidents in Zimbabwe:

"There is nothing subtle about the reaction of President Robert G. Mugabe’s government to the latest surge of political unrest in Zimbabwe. By the scores — by the hundreds, some opposition figures say — people critical of Mr. Mugabe’s rule are being cornered on sidewalks, hauled to jails or simply abducted from their homes in early morning raids, and then savagely beaten.

"The main faction of the leading opposition group, the Movement for Democratic Change, says that at least 500 of its members have been attacked in the last month. The numbers of attacks on civic advocates and other opposition figures is less clear but appears substantial.

"Some of those attacked are left with fractured skulls or broken limbs. A few have been shot. At least one has been killed: a week ago, a 65-year-old former cameraman for the state-controlled Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation was found bludgeoned to death in a field 50 miles from his home in Glenview, a south Harare slum that is a locus of antigovernment sentiment..."

"..Mr. Mugabe was widely quoted last month as saying that “the police have a right to bash” protesters who resist them, and added that the main leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, Morgan Tsvangirai, deserved the beating he got on March 11 — leaving him hospitalized with a head wound and possible skull fracture.

"An international furor erupted this week after The Herald, a government-controlled newspaper that frequently speaks for officials in power, suggested that one British diplomat that it accused of aiding opposition figures might return to London 'in a body bag, like some of her colleagues from Iraq and Afghanistan.'

“'This is not a regime that is ensconced in the affections of the people,' Iden Wetherell, an editor of the weekly Zimbabwe Independent, said in his downtown offices this week. 'There’s a real fear of popular mobilization. Look at the pattern of beating people up, of declaring Harare a zone where no demonstrations can be held, of breaking up news conferences. It’s clearly an attempt to prevent the leadership of the opposition from communicating with its members.'”

Tehran book fair imperiled by hardliners

2007-04-04T17:45:00.000-07:00

Efforts of Iranian hardliners to prevent independent publishers from having contacts with their foreign counterparts is bringing the prestitigous annual Tehran book fair to the brink of collapse, reports Index on Censorship. The fair, scheduled for May, is one of the biggest in Asia, with about two million visitors a year. This time, Iranian authorities plan to separate the fair in half, with domestic publishers at a location at one end of the city and foreign publishers at another location at the other end. Some domestic publishers have already withdrawn.

The International Publishes Association has said the separation would mean that "international publishers would see no point in participating in the Book Fair as exchange with our Iranian colleagues would be hindered." Index on Censorship notes:

"The dispute comes at a sensitive time for publishing in Iran. All new books have to go past the censors and final proofs and bound books cleared by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance before distribution. Even if publication of a translated book is approved, the text is often so changed by censorship that it is unrecognisable to a bilingual reader who has read the original."

Source: Index on Censorship/Rohan Jayasekera, April 4.

YouTube banned in Thailand

2007-04-04T17:22:00.000-07:00

The Thailand military government has banned access to YouTube because of a 44-second video which is considered derogatory to the King. It included a juxtaposition of a pair of woman's feet over the King's head. YouTube's owner Google Inc. has refused to take down the video and the Thai Information and Communications Technology Ministry (ICT) has stated YouTube access will be denied in the country until the video is removed.

Source: Southeast Asia Press Alliance, April 4.

Catholic priest in Vietnam sentenced to 8 years

2007-03-31T10:12:00.000-07:00

Father Nguyen Van Ly, a prominent Catholic priest and pro-democracy dissident, was sentenced to eight years imprisonment after a three hour trial in a Hue court, in which he was muzzled and then hustled out of the courtroom in midtrial for shouting some anti-communist slogans. Four other defendants were sentenced to terms ranging from probation to six years imprisonment. They were charged under Article 88 of Vietnam's Criminal Code, which prohibits spreading anti-government propaganda. Their specific activities for which they were convicted were to publish a pro-democracy newsletter, establish a new political party, and communicating with overseas Vietnamese groups.

Observers describe Father Ly's trial as part of a major crackdown on dissent in the country, the worst in 20 years.

I write about this in much more detail at my other blog page, Vietnam Human Rights Journal. Because I write these blogs on my own time, and because I am also the Vietnam country specialist for Amnesty International USA, a volunteer position, I will have to spend alot more time now at my Vietnam Human Rights Journal blog and will probably not be able to post very much here at the Banned Books blog for the forseeable future.

House hearings on climate change censorship

2007-03-27T13:56:00.000-07:00

Congressional hearings are to take place tomorrow on "Shaping the Message, Distorting the Science: Media Strategies to Influence Public Policy." The hearings will be convened by the House Committee on Science and Technology Investigations & Oversight Subcommittee. Witnesses will include Dr. James J. McCarthy, professor of Biological Oceanography at Harvard and a board member of the Union of Concerned Scientists; Sheldon Rampton of SourceWatch and co-author of “Trust Us, We’re Experts!”; Tarek Maassarani of Government Accountability Project and author, “Redacting the Science of Climate Change”; and Jeff Kueter, president of George C. Marshall Institute. The hearings are to be broadcast at the committee's website (and also I presume C-Span).

This is the second major congressional hearing in about a week on this subject. Last week Henry Waxman's Oversight and Government Reform Committee held hearings focusing on apparent efforts to muzzle climate scientists by the Bush administration, with James Hansen of NASA and Philip Cooney, former chief of staff for the White House Council on Environmental Quality as the principal witnesses. Cooney resigned his post in June 2005 "after reports surfaced about his editing of federal climate reports. He now works for Exxon Mobil Corp.," according to Energy and Environmental Daily. Hansen gained headlines last year after he complained of government efforts to obstruct him and other NASA scientists from publicly disclosing their findings on climate change.

Beijing court approves book ban

2007-03-26T00:35:00.000-07:00

A Beijing court rejected a lawsuit by veteran journalist Dai Huang challenging the banning of his book, A Narrow Escape From Death, describing his prison experiences. Dai was labeled a righist for criticizing totatalitarian rule and the deification of Mao and sent to labor camp in 1957, where he spent the next 21 years. His book was published by the Central Compilation and Translation Press in 1998 and Xuelin Publishing House in 2001. However when he sought to have it reprinted last year, the Writers Publishing House said it was impossible, following a June 7 order by the General Administration of Press and Publication and publication department which said it was "not suitable to be published". Huang's lawyer Zhang Sizhi said they will appeal the case.

Source: South China Morning Post, March 20.

India court hears banned book case

2007-03-26T00:15:00.000-07:00

The Bombay High Court reserved judgment on a petition against the banning of a book about Maratha warrior Shivaji written by American author James Laine, titled Shivaji - The Hindu King in Muslim India. The book had been banned in Jan. 2004 following the ransacking of Pune- based Bhadarkar Oriental Research Institute by activists of Sambhaji Brigade, a pro-Maratha body. The banning was justified on grounds that it incited enmity between different groups in the society, particularly "those who revere Shivaji and those who do not.” Lawyer Sanghraj Rupawate, documentary film maker Anand Patwardhan and social activist Kunda Pramila filed the petition against the ban.

Source: Cybernoon.com, March 26.

CPUSA archives to New York University

2007-03-20T17:27:00.000-07:00

Today's New York Times features a lengthy front page article on the donation of materials from the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) to the Tamiment library of New York University. According to the report:

"The donation includes 20,000 books, journals and pamphlets and a million photographs from The Daily Worker’s archives.

"Sam Webb, national chairman of the Communist Party USA, said, 'We felt that Tamiment could better maintain the collection and provide for a much wider audience.' He said hardly any of the files were reviewed before being given away."

The report mentions that the university library also has another part of the CPUSA archives, records which were sent to Moscow for safekeeping 50 years ago, and then microfilmed by the U.S. Library of Congress, despite the vociferous objections of some affiliated with the CPUSA, most notably Mark Rosenzweig, who headed the Reference Center for Marxist Studies, the official library of the CPUSA headquarters in New York City.

Michael Nash, director of the library, says it will take years to catalog the materials.

Update: A March 23 speech by Jarvis Tyner on the transfer of these materials was published in Political Affairs today (April 3). Tyner is executive vice chair of the Communist Party USA.

Dissident textbooks banned in Indonesia

2007-03-19T22:44:00.000-07:00

Indonesia's Attorney General Office (AGO) has announced that 13 history textbooks have been banned and others may also be banned, for not conforming to the official view that the 1965 attempted coup d'etat in the country was caused soley by the Indonesia Communist Party (PKI). The Supreme Court approved the decision, stating that the books, which have been used in the country's universities and public schools since 2004, challenge "accepted truths" and could therefore cause public disorder.

China ban on eight books modified

2007-03-19T22:36:00.000-07:00

China censors have modified slightly their ban on eight books: booksellers will be allowed to continue selling the books until they are sold out, but cannot restock them. The modification comes amidst strong protest from bloggers over the banning. Writer Zhang Yihe, whose book is on the banned list, and whose previous books have been banned, wrote an open letter to the China government, demanding a lifting of the ban and an end to all censorship in the country.

Dismal report on press freedom in the Americas

2007-03-19T22:15:00.000-07:00

There has been siginificant deterioration of press freedom in the Americas since last October, reports the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA). It noted seven journalists killed in Mexico, one in Haiti, and dozens of journalists in other Latin American countries who have received death threats. However, it said the killings were the result of gang warfare and drug trafficking, not political confrontation.

Independent librarian in Cuba interviewed

2007-03-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

A very interesting interview with Gisela Delgado Sablón, head of the independent library project in Cuba, was published in La Nueva Cuba and in English translation (by Robert Kent) at the 4freadom website. Delgado says that of the 75 dissidents tried in the 2003 Cuba trials, 16 were librarians. There were 103 independent libraries at the time of the trials, but afterwards, she says:

"..those of us who remained free were threatened with long prison terms if we didn't cease our work as promoters of culture. Because of all the threats and book confiscations, many of our libraries were almost empty; this library [the Dulce Maria Loynaz Library], the principal one, was almost empty, 1000 books were confiscated, not counting magazines and newspapers."

She says, however, that the libraries have been able to replenish their collections, thanks to the support of international non-government organizations, particularly from Sweden, Spain, France, Holland, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and the United States. She says the libraries have "expanded, the groups of readers in rural areas have increased, something we had not managed to do before [the 2003 crackdown.] We work for all segments of Cuban society, without any kind of exclusions."

She also noted the "heroic" speech given by writer Cesar López at this year's Havana book fair, in which he praised the writings of once banned, and now deceased, writers Guillermo Cabrera Infante, Heberto Padilla, Reinaldo Arenas, Severo Sarduy, Gastón Baquero and Jesús Díaz, at an event at which Raul Castro was present.

She estimated over 240,000 patrons have visited independent libraries this year, and said there are many others who do not visit these libraries, but are involved with them through their participation in readers' groups, who make use of about 60-80 books per group.

She thanked the international community, "which needs to support a country where information is shut out and where people do not have access to the Internet, where a monopoly of information exists, where the Cuban government tells people what they should read every day, and tells them how they should interpret what they read."

U.S. State Department report released

2007-03-06T11:40:00.000-08:00

The United States State Department issued today its annual country-by-country report on worldwide human rights conditions for 2006. I have found this report to be very useful over the years.

China may end re-education prisons

2007-03-06T00:03:00.000-08:00

China's parliament is considering legislation that would reform or end its re-education camp system, known as laogai, according to an article in today's (March 5) Los Angeles Times by Mark Magnier. The re-education camp system began 50 years ago, and has allowed police to "sentence petty criminals or anyone they consider troublemakers to as many as four years of incarceration without trial." It has been both an instrument of corrupt officials protecting themselves and as a method to quell dissent. Magnier says:

"Legal experts say draft reforms include reducing the maximum sentence to one year, better defining the appeal process, removing the high walls and electrified barriers often found around these facilities and placing greater emphasis on rehabilitation.

"Still lacking is any clear evidence the program will fall under judicial control."

Critics have also described this system as essentially unmonitored sweatshops, in which prison labor has become a major cog in China's economy and trade with other nations.

However, although the legislation is supported by some legal officials and experts in China, it is opposed by the Ministry of Public Security, so it may not be likely to see reform in this area anytime soon.

Southern Oregon libraries close

2007-03-04T22:04:00.000-08:00

The Sunday San Francisco Chronicle (March 4) features a front page article on the closure of all public libraries in Jackson county of southern Oregon, described as the largest shut down of libraries in U.S. history. Fifteen libraries will be shut down, including at least one that just opened as a new library, and 100 library employees will be laid off. The libraries had lost $7 million in federal funding for this year, 80 percent of its annual budget, and the county in the midst of its own fiscal crisis from federal cutbacks, chose keeping public safety services as a higher priority.

According to reporter Meredith May, the "crisis in southern Oregon can be traced not only to changing funding priorities on Capitol Hill, but also to crooked railroad deals in the Wild West, a spotted owl and a shrinking timber harvest." In November of last year, Jackson county residents voted down a $9 million property tax levy to keep the library system afloat. The same levy will come up on the ballot again this May, but "in order to pass, 50 percent of the registered voters have to participate in the election, and a majority of them have to vote yes."

The NLF interviews

2007-03-03T22:56:00.000-08:00

There are banned books, there are burned books, and then there are buckshot books. The books here have some buckshot in them from a military attack on the U.S. Embassy during the 1968 Tet Offensive. Of course, that was not the main purpose of the raid, they were likely stray gunfire, but in any case it is an interesting piece of memorabilia. These are among 52 volumes of interviews conducted by the Rand Corporation and U.S. officials in South Vietnam during the war in Vietnam, with captured or defecting National Liberation Front soldiers. They were brought to the U.C. Berkeley library with the final closure of the UCB Indochina Center this last year. Very few libraries have these volumes, and among those that do, most have them in microfilm. For anyone doing research on the NLF and life in general in Vietnam during this time, they are very valuable primary source materials. They were originally assembled by Douglas Pike (my former supervisor) while he was a U.S. Foreign Service officer in Vietnam and brought to Berkeley when he retired from government in 1981 and brought his materials to U.C. Berkeley. He had intended to take the volumes with him when he moved to the Vietnam Center at Texas Tech in 1997 but was prevented from doing so. Mr. Pike passed away in 2002, but these volumes are among the many items, including his prolific writings, that will carry on his legacy. The books in the photos will be repaired before shelving in the main stacks of our library here at U.C. Berkeley.

China bans reporting on 20 issues

2007-03-02T14:37:00.000-08:00

China's Central Propaganda Department has instructed the state-controlled media it cannot report on 20 issues. Among the prohibited issues, according to Ming Pao (March 1), a Hong Kong based publication:

- The 50th anniversary of the Anti-Rightist struggle
- The July 7 Incident of 1937
- Excessive reporting on Chinese weaponry
- "Propaganda affirming private ownership , and exposing the inside story of the judiciary under the pretext of upholding human rights."
- Reporting "that touches on customs of minority races and sexuality, playing up aristocratic life and having concubines."
- Playing up "the disintegration of the Soviet Union."
- Propagating "independence for the universities ."

(My source: BBC Monitoring International Reports, March 1, as found on Lexis-Nexis).

Kansas bill on teacher prosecution stalled

2007-03-02T14:22:00.000-08:00

A bill in the Kansas state legislature that would allow the prosecution of teachers for promoting obscenity has been sent back to committee. The bill "would end the automatic protection elementary, middle and high school teachers enjoy from prosecution over materials used in classes," reports Associated Press. The Kansas-National Education Association opposes the bill because it could be used to prosecute teachers for having students read novels containing vulgar language or sexual scenes.

According to AP: "On legislators' minds was the ongoing dispute between parents and officials in the Blue Valley school district in Johnson County over books on its reading lists. The novels to which parents object include Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning Beloved, Wright's Black Boy, and Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. All three books are on Blue Valley's reading lists for students.."

Australia bans book on assisted suicide

2007-03-02T14:06:00.000-08:00

The Peaceful Pill Handbook, by Philip Nitschke and Fiona Stewart, has been banned throughout Australia by the nation's Classification Review Board because it provides instructions on the illegal manufacture of barbituates. Board convenor Maureen Shelley said the book was not banned on moral grounds but because it encouraged readers to break the law, although she noted the drug-making instructions were "flawed and incomplete."

"The ban means the book cannot be sold, displayed or imported into the country and that all copies must be removed from bookstore shelves immediately," reports Agence France Presse.

Vietnam: Catholic priest Nguyen Van Ly arrested

2007-02-26T12:38:00.000-08:00

Nhan Dan, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Vietnam reports today that dissident Catholic priest Fr. Nguyen Van Ly has been arrested in Hue, accused "of carrying out propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam according to point C, item 1, article 88 of the Penal Code. "

That Fr. Ly's only crime is to dissent from the ruling party in Vietnam is evident even in the official denunciation of him. Nhan Dan describes his supposed criminal history:

"Nguyen Van Ly, born on May 15, 1946 in Vinh Chap commune, Vinh Linh district of Quang Tri province, was appointed priest in 1974. After the liberation of the south, Nguyen Van Ly had carried out many activities against the country. In September 1977, he was arrested for illegally distributing documents against the administration. On December 9, 1983, he was sentenced for 10 years in prison by the People's Court of Binh Tri Thien province regarding his crime in attempting to destroy the people's unity bloc and security. In 1995, the People's Committee of Thua Thien-Hue decided to impose compulsory residence against him. On February 22, 2001, Thua Thien Hue authorities issued the administrative probation, however he disobeyed this and incited parishioners to act against the administration. On May 17, 2001, the police of Thua Thien-Hue arrested him and on May 19, 2001, he was sentenced 15 years in jail failing to comply with an administrative decision by authorised State agencies and for sabotaging the policy of uniting the whole people. On February 1, 2005, he was granted amnesty and was kept under surveillance at No. 69 Phan Dinh Phung street, Hue city."

The documents that Fr. Ly distributed in 1977 were statements of the archbishop of Hue at the time, Fr. Nguyen Kim Dien, who was one of the first religious leaders to publicly dissent from the regime's policies, at a time when the society was extremely closed, both within and toward the outside world.

Nhan Dan goes on to say that Fr. Ly showed no repentance after his release, moving from his residence several times without seeking official approval (indicating he was under a form of house arrest), and then "establishing contacts and colluding with political opportunists and reactionaries at home and abroad in order to issue the so-called 'declaration on calling for the right to form parties in Vietnam. and then the 'declaration on freedom and democracy for Vietnam in 2006' which sought signatures to support the attempt of overturn the administration."

Police raided his residence on Feb. 18, and confiscated "six computers, six printers, dozens of telephones connecting with the Internet, 136 mobile phone SIM cards and more than 200kg of documents relating to the establishment of reactionary organisations opposing the Communist Party and the State of Vietnam."

According to a press release today by Reporters Without Borders, Fr. Ly was editing a dissident magazine, Tu do Ngôn luan (Free Speech), at the time of his arrest. Two other editors of the magazine, long time dissident Father Chan Tin and Father Phan Van Loi, have been put under house arrest. The English language version of the manifesto referred to by Nhan Dan can be found here in audio format or read here.

Malaysian activists protest book bans

2007-02-22T15:03:00.000-08:00

A Malaysian human rights group, Suaram, has protested the banning by Malaysia's Internal Security Ministry of 52 books. Most are academic works discussing religion, other banned works discuss race, illegal drugs, and sex. Among the banned works are: The Battle for God: Fundamentalism in Judaism, Christianity and Islam by Karen Armstrong, What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam by John Esposito, Cannabis Culture, Weed World, and Classic Nude Photography Techniques and Images. The organization said:

"The ban of academic works by the ministry is a death knell to academic freedom in Malaysia. More importantly, the ban of these books violates the freedom of expression of the authors and the right to receive and impart information freely of the general public."

Egyptian writer's book banned, destroyed

2007-02-22T14:50:00.000-08:00

All copies of Egyptian writer, feminist and psychiatrist Nawal Al Saadawi's latest book, God Resigns in the Summit Meeting, have been confiscated and destroyed by her publisher, reports the German news service dpa. The publisher, Mahmoud Madbouli, said he did so because the book "offended readers' religious sensitivities." Although he claimed his decision was not political, he admitted that security police ‘witnessed' the destruction. Dr. Saadawi is the author of more than 30 books, many of them banned. She has been imprisoned in Egypt for her views and lived in the U.S. for five years before returning to her native country.

Read a banned book challenge

2007-02-18T18:18:00.000-08:00

Elaine Anderson of Pelham Public Library in Fenwick, Ontario, is promoting the reading of banned books at her Fahrenheit 451 site:

"Just in time for Freedom to Read Week, the Pelham Public Library is issuing this challenge to readers everywhere.

"Set a goal for yourself to read as many banned or challenged books as you wish between February 26 (Freedom to Read Week) and June 30, 2007. Visit the Pelham Public Library’s Fahrenheit 451: Banned Book Blog to set your goal and report on your progress. Not sure what to read? Check out the lists on the sidebar, click on our LibraryThing banner or visit some of the links. Don't forget to visit your own library in person too. Just so you know you aren't alone in this, I let you know which 'banned' authors are responding to the challenge to date.."

Dissidents protest Nguyen Vu Binh's mistreatment

2007-02-16T23:05:00.000-08:00

The following petition of prominent dissidents in Vietnam addresses the condition of journalist Nguyen Vu Binh, sent to me by the same friend who sent me the report of Dr. Pham Hong Son on Nguyen Vu Binh.

=============================

Urgent Call for Action To Save the Life of
Journalist Nguyen Vu Binh
in Light of His Critical Medical Condition

Having been unjustly imprisoned for over four years, journalist
Nguyen Vu Binh, 39, is presently facing a critical health condition.
According to a family member who visited Mr. Binh on February
15, 2007, he has lost a lot of weight, is having difficulty walking,
starting to slur his speech, and is so weak that he was could not
hold his five-year-old child. In addition to his chronic hypertension
and intestinal inflammation, Mr. Binh can hardly sleep at night
because of the back and chest pains he has had for over a
month now. In a recent doctor visit, he was diagnosed with steatosis.

Recently, due to his deteriorating health Mr. Binh has been referred
to the National Cardiovascular Institute, but was refused admission.
Many times, he had asked to be treated in a hospital but his requests
were denied.

We, the undersigned, representing Vietnam-based political parties,
human rights organizations, and press agencies,

- In light of the above incidents, resolutely condemn the Vietnamese
communist government's inhuman treatment of Mr. Binh before
world opinion.

- Urge the International Red Cross (IRC) to request that the
Vietnamese government allow IRC physicians to provide
Mr. Binh with emergency care inside the Nam Ha prison
[in northern Vietnam].

- Call upon the governments and people of all freedom loving
countries throughout the world, human rights advocacy
organizations, as well as Vietnamese overseas and inside the
country, to take urgent actions so as to protect, first and
foremost, the life of journalist Nguyen Vu Binh, and later
to secure his release from prison.

Hold the Vietnamese government to be totally responsible for the
safety and survival of Mr. Binh.

We appreciate your immediate attention, and we are ready to
provide, upon your request, necessary information regarding
Mr. Nguyen Vu Binh and his health condition.

Made in Vietnam, on this 16th day of February 2007.

Representatives
Affiliations

1. Alliance for Democracy and Human Rights for Vietnam
Do Nam Hai, Nguyen Phong, Nguyen Chinh Ket

2. Bloc 8406:
Father Nguyen Van Ly, Do Nam Hai, Tran Anh Kim

3. Independent Trade Union of Vietnam:
Nguyen Khac Toan, Dao Van Thuy, Le Tri Tue

4. Committee for Human Rights in Vietnam:
Pham Van Troi, Nguyen Phuong Anh, Bach Ngoc Duong

5. Former Political and Religious Prisoners Association of Vietnam:
Most Ven. Thich Thien Minh, Dr. Pham Hong Son

6. Vietnam Progressive Party:
Nguyen Phong, Le Thi Cong Nhan, Nguyen Binh Thanh, Hoang Thi Anh Dao

7. Democratic Party of the XXI Century:
Hoang Minh Chinh

8. People's Democracy Party:
Tran Van Hoa

9. Freedom of Speech Online Magazine:
Fr. Chan Tin, Fr. Nguyen Van Ly, Fr. Phan Van Loi, Nguyen Van Dai, Nguyen Khac Toan

10. Freedom & Democracy Online Magazine:
Writer Hoang Tien, Nguyen Khac Toan, Nguyen Van Dai, Bach Ngoc Duong, Duong Thi Xuan

Vietnam: Nguyen Vu Binh seriously ill

2007-02-16T11:39:00.000-08:00

From an exclusive report we received from a friend of Dr. Pham Hong Son, we have learned that Vietnam dissident Nguyen Vu Binh is seriously ill. Below is Dr. Son's report:

=============

Urgent Report from Hanoi on Heavily Critical Health of Journalist Nguyen Vu Binh

On 15 Feb 2007, immediately after returning from visiting journalist Nguyen Vu Binh, who has been unjustly imprisoned in Nam Ha jail, Mrs. Bui Thi Kim Ngan, Nguyen Vu Binh's wife, told us in tears:

- Nguyen Vu Binh had to hop when walking and his back had to bend due to pain.

- He could not hold up his 5- year-old daughter.

- He felt tired to talk and had to stop talking at intervals in order to rest during conversation with his family.

- He has lost much more of his weight compared to the last visit of his family. His skin color has changed and darkened.

- Besides suffering from hypertension and chronic digestive dysfunction, he has suffered from permanent back pain and angina (chest pain) for more than a month. During a medical check, a doctor performing ultra-sound to check his liver revealed accidentally "Oh, poor man, you are suffering fatty liver (cirrhosis)!" Nguyen Vu Binh asked jail officers about that but they denied it. His health has deteriorated since the last medical check (Note: before any medical checks, jail officers discussed something secretly with relevant doctors)

- He has made several requests to be medically checked at National Cardiology Institute but his requests have been refused.

- Several times Nguyen Vu Binh called for help when suffering pain in jail cell but no one came to see him.

- Nguyen Vu Binh has been isolated in a small cell in Nam Ha jail.

Reported by Pham Hong Son 22:30 15/02/2007

Anti-conservative censorship on college campuses

2007-02-12T17:55:00.000-08:00

Jack Stephens of Conservator cites a lengthy article by John Leo describing censorship in American universities against those perceived to be conservative, or advancing conservative ideas. The most ridiculous case, which Jack has discussed several times, is probably that of Scott Savage, a librarian at Ohio State Mansfield, who had a sexual harassment complaint filed against him by two professors after he recommended four conservative books for a freshman reading list. The two professors felt that one of the recommended books, The Marketing of Evil, by David Kupelian was threatening to them because of its criticism of homosexuality. The university dropped the investigation after after "a burst of publicity and a threat to sue," according to Leo.

At my university here at U.C. Berkeley, there have been a few similar incidents over my 24 years here, of conservative speakers being shouted down by protesters, or newspapers being stolen (at one time the mayor of our city stole the student paper, but was caught).

43 writers receive Hellman/Hammet grants

2007-02-08T22:14:00.000-08:00

Human Rights Watch has awarded Hellman/Hammet grants to 43 writers around the world this year. The annual grant program began in 1989, according to HRW, "when the American playwright Lillian Hellman willed that her estate be used to assist writers in financial need as a result of expressing their views." Human Rights Watch administers the program.

Of this year's grantees, more than half come from three countries: "China (nine), Vietnam (eight) and Iran (seven) – all of which have sad records of harassing and persecuting journalists, poets, playwrights, essayists, bloggers and novelists who dare to express ideas that criticize official public policy or people in power." Other countries represented include Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Colombia, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gambia, Georgia (of former USSR), Iraq, Kenya, Mexico, Peru, Rwanda and Zimbabwe.

Turkey protests anti-genocide resolution

2007-02-08T13:05:00.000-08:00

The Turkish government has protested a proposed resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives that would condemn as genocide the mass killing of around 1.5 million Armenians from 1915-1917. Turkey denies that these deaths constitute genocide.

Its foreign minister Abdullah Gul met with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and other top U.S. officials on Feb. 6. He warned that the resolution's passage would be a "real threat to our relationship," and hamper cooperation on Iraq and other issues. U.S. officials have said they would oppose the resolution, according to the Associated Press.

Turkey has been in the news over the last year because of its unwillingness to revoke Article 301 of its penal code, which makes it a crime to insult "Turkishness". This law has been used to prosecute those who write about the mass killings of Armenians, even writing a novel in the case of Elif Shafak, although she was acquitted.

My original source for this story was an entry by Kate Heneroty in Jurist Legal News & Research.

CPJ annual report released

2007-02-07T23:41:00.000-08:00

The Committee to Protect Journalists has issued its annual report on worldwide press conditions, titled, Attacks on the Press. It summarizes the press situation in each country, and also describes worldwide trends. An accompanying press release notes the rise of popularly elected autocrats in Latin America, erosion of nuetral observance status for the press in war coverage, and increased violence in Iraq, "where 32 journalists were killed in the line of duty."

National library of Iraq travails in New York Times

2007-02-07T16:22:00.000-08:00

In my Jan. 29 entry below, I mentioned the diary of Saad Eskander, Director of the Iraq National Library and Archive, describing the perilous violence he and his colleagues have had to endure while while trying to keep the library and archive open, posted at the website of the British Library. Today's New York Times discusses the diary and the extremely violent conditions suffered by Mr. Eskander and his staff, in an article by Patricia Cohen. She says: "In mid-January, he published a chart on the impact of sectarian violence on his staff for just the month of December. It included 4 assassinations of employees and 2 kidnappings, 66 murders of staff members’ relatives, 58 death threats and 51 displacements."

Mr. Eskander notes: "It is extremely difficult for my staff, including me, to work in a normal way. Many roads and bridges are often blocked. Hundreds of checkpoints are responsible for the daily heavy traffic. There is always the possibility of daily car-bomb attacks, assassinations, kidnapping and so on. Sometimes our drivers refuse to go to dangerous districts. All these ‘tiny things’ affect our works on daily basis."

However one may feel about the war, these library workers certainly deserve our support in their struggles to keep the national library open and functioning.

Abu Ghraib paintings by Fernando Botero

2007-02-06T16:54:00.000-08:00

Our library here at U.C. Berkeley is hosting a display of Fernando Botero's paintings and drawings of abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. It is sponsoredby the UCB Center for Latin American Studies. The paintings are very powerful. In a piece for the San Francisco Chronicle, Jan. 22, Louis Freedberg commented on the fact that the paintings and drawings so far have been shown at only one other location within the United States, and no major museum seems interested in displaying them. Here is an excerpt:

The trickier question is why no U.S. museum chose to exhibit them. The only other place they have been shown in the United States was last November at New York's private Marlborough Gallery, which has been showing and selling Botero's work for decades.

Some museums may have had security concerns. Look at what happened to the Copabianco Gallery in San Francisco, which was forced to close in 2004 after it showed a painting depicting torture of an Iraqi detainee, and the gallery was vandalized and its owner assaulted.

Some museums may have rejected the Abu Ghraib series for artistic reasons (even though Botero's less serious works are in the permanent exhibitions of many U.S. museums). SFMOMA says it wasn't offered the exhibit.

Then there's the likelihood that some were scared away by the content. By contrast, several European museums, including the Palazzo Venezia in Rome, had no problems showing the work.

Botero's paintings got the cold shoulder here despite favorable reviews in a range of respected publications. In an article titled "The Iconography of Torture" in this month's edition of Art in America, for example, the reviewer said the Abu Ghraib paintings "bear comparison with much of the political art of the modern era ... Like Guernica, Botero's Abu Ghraib paintings are a cry of pain at the pointless suffering inflicted on the victims of wars." The Washington Post's culture critic called it a "remarkable show, and a disturbing one.."

Vietnam: Send a card to Thich Huyen Quang

2007-02-02T16:06:00.000-08:00

Every year, Amnesty International USA holds a holiday card action campaign for various prisoners of conscience around the world. This past December, Venerable Thich Huyen Quang, the Supreme Patriarch of the Unified Buddhist Church Vietnam (UBCV), was one of those highlighted in this campaign. Since the Vietnamese new year, Tet, begins on Feb. 18 this year, I would like to propose this action campaign be extended for him.

The UBCV which Thich Huyen Quang leads has long been known for its independent stance in the face of government repression, both under the former government of the South, the Republic of Vietnam, and under the communist regime of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Along with other leading monks he was harassed and imprisoned under the first RVN president, Ngo Dinh Diem, and during this period they also linked up with overseas pacifist organizations supporting genuine reconciliation in the country. After the war ended in 1975, he and other UBCV leaders continued to speak up for peace and human rights and met harsh reprisals for their protests. In March 1977 Thich Huyen Quang wrote to then Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, detailing various forms of repression against Buddhist pagodas and clergy, and asked for redress.

As a result of this statement and some statements made by other UBCV leaders, Thich Huyen Quang and seven other leading UBCV monks were arrested and imprisoned, from June 1977 until Dec. 1978 (released after international protest). During his incarceration, Ven. Huyen Quang and his colleague Thich Quang Do (UBCV secretary general) were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams, who had won the award for their peace work in Northern Ireland. The UBCV was essentially banned in 1981 when the government sponsored the creation of a state Buddhist church, which declared in its founding charter that it was the only legitimate representative of Buddhism within Vietnam and abroad. At this time all Buddhist organizations and churches were ordered to integrate themselves within the state church, but Thich Huyen Quang and Thich Quang Do were sent into internal exile after they strongly protested this action.

Over the years, Thich Huyen Quang has continued to speak out boldly and defiantly for human rights and religious freedom, in statements that were smuggled outside of Vietnam and disseminated abroad. The result of his courageous words is that he has spent most of the last 30 years in prison or under house arrest. Yet his suffering has not been in vain: he should be regarded as a pioneer in the struggle against censorship and repression in his country, helping to move Vietnam toward a more open society (a goal still to be realized). I used to edit a newsletter on human rights in Vietnam, and published many translations of his courageous and eloquent statements. See for example his funeral oration for Thich Don Hau; it was with Venerable Don Hau's passing that Thich Huyen Quang formally rose to the position of Supreme Patriarch of the UBCV.

Now age 87, Thich Huyen Quang lives under house arrest at his pagoda in Binh Dinh province of central Vietnam. Cards of support can be sent to him in care of the following pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City, and they will be forwarded to him (police surveillance in Binh Dinh is too tight to send to him directly):

Thich Huyen Quang
c/o chua giac Hoa
15/7 no trang Long
Phuong 7, Quan Binh Thanh
Tp Ho chi minh
Vietnam

Cards can say something simple, such as "we are thinking of you," or "we admire your courage and love for your country."

News from IFEX

2007-01-30T12:55:00.000-08:00

It is difficult to keep up with all the stories of censorship and the banning of literature around the world, which in itself is rather depressing. What I offer here is only the tip of the iceberg. There are organizations which provide more comprehensive coverage than I can possibly do with this modest blog. One of the most notable is the International Freedom of Expression eXchange, IFEX, which is a clearing house for reports from various human rights groups around the world. Here are some stories from its website just for today:

- Nepal: "Journalists flee workplaces following threats, various journalists attacked, two issued death threats as social agitation continues; FNJ denounces indifference of authorities.."

- Côte d'Ivoire - "Newspaper journalist held for five days by Abidjan gendarmes.."

- Thailand: "Newspaper office hit by two small bombs.."

- Sri Lanka: "Internet access and 8,000 telephone lines blocked in Jaffna Peninsula.."

- Colombia: "Newspaper in Barranquilla forbidden to report on case of alleged municipal corruption and paramilitary ties.."

- Peru: "Mayor's assistant threatens to kill journalist and his family for critical reporting on city's administration.."

Finally, there is the arrest of the Uzbekistan human rights activist, which I discuss in more detail in the entry below.

Uzbekistan arrests human rights activist

2007-01-30T12:43:00.000-08:00

Umida Niazova, 32, a human rights activist with Veritas and translator for Human Rights Watch, was arrested Jan. 22 near the Uzbek-Kyrgyz border, in what appears to be retaliation for her human rights work. According to HRW, she now faces "charges of bringing 'extremist' literature across the border (article 246 of the Uzbek criminal code, which is punishable by five to 10 years of imprisonment) and illegal border crossing (article 223, which is punishable by a fine or up to five to 10 years). It is not clear that actions allegedly committed by Niazova form the basis of these charges." Her laptop computer has also been confiscated.

Iraq librarians carry on amidst violence

2007-01-29T16:25:00.000-08:00

The British Library has posted at its website the diary (Nov. 2006-Jan. 2007) of Saad Eskander, Director of the Iraq National Library and Archive, describing the perilous violence he and his colleagues have had to endure while while trying to keep the library and archive open. At the webpage there is also a message of support from Lynne Brindley, Chief Executive of the British Library:

"I am not sure that anyone here can possibly appreciate just how perilous and intolerable a situation you and your colleagues were operating under in the interest of keeping the National Library and Archive open. The thoughts and prayers of everyone here at the British Library go out to you and all your colleagues at this very difficult time. Your safety must be absolutely paramount. We hope that the situation will soon improve and that you will be able to continue your important mission. I hope this message of support from the British Library might in some way sustain you during these dark times."

Venezuela television station to close

2007-01-29T16:05:00.000-08:00

Venezuela president Hugo Chavez has announced that the leading independent television station in the country will not have its license renewed, and hence will be closed in May. Chavez accused the station, Radio Caracas Television (RCTV), of spreading disinformation and broadcasting soap operas which violate the government restrictions under its 2004 media law against sex and violence. "It's hard to imagine a more obvious case of censorship," said Jose Miguel Vivanco, the Americas director for Human Rights Watch. "President Chavez decided to punish the television channel because he doesn't approve its editorial line." Although there are still other opposition media in the country, RCTV was the largest private television station on the country and most widely viewed; its closure will likely cripple the expression of opposition or independent views in the country. Chicago Tribune reporter Richard Marx contrasted RCTV with state-sponsored media:

"Programming on the state's longtime flagship station, Venezolana de Television, often resembles a giant campaign ad for Chavez and his populist policies. One spot broadcast last week equated capitalism with misery and hate, while praising socialism as embodying equality and collectivism."

Government secrecy vs. free press

2007-01-26T17:58:00.000-08:00

The First Amendment Center has released an interesting report on historic and current tensions in the United States between the perceived need for government secrecy and freedom of the press. As summarized in a press release, "The report surveys the limits on what public employees can legally tell the press and public, discusses criminal punishment for publication of classified material, and considers the 'who is a journalist?' question in terms of who might be protected from government subpoenas by a so-called 'shield law.'" The report is titled, Government Secrecy vs. Freedom of the Press, by Geoffrey R. Stone, a University of Chicago law professor.

North Korea protests internet censorship

2007-01-26T17:18:00.000-08:00

North Korea has protested the blocking of about 30 of its internet websites in South Korea, including its official news agency, KCNA, reports Jurist Legal News and Research. The protest certainly has an ironic twist, given that North Korea is the most closed society on the planet, ranked at the very bottom in the press freedom index of Reporters Without Borders. Nevertheless, it is a valid objection on free speech grounds. Furthermore, allowing access to official propaganda websites from North Korea is not likely to stir popular upheaval in South Korea.

EU official urges criminalizing holocaust denial

2007-01-26T16:28:00.000-08:00

European Union Freedom, Security and Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini has urged the 27 EU nations to adopt laws criminalizing denials of the Holocaust and incitement of hatred and racial violence. Jurist Legal News and Research reports:

"Frattini said that proposed minimum prison sentences for individuals who deny the Holocaust or incite racial violence or hatred would not contravene the European Convention of Human Rights [text]. Germany has already announced its intent to pursue the proposal [JURIST report], which has previously been blocked due to freedom of expression concerns, as part of its platform [PDF test in German] for the 2007 EU presidency [official website]. Several EU countries have taken steps to criminalize Holocaust denial at the national level - the Italian cabinet approved a draft bill [JURIST report] to that effect Thursday, and it is currently illegal to deny the Holocaust in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany and Spain."

My opinion: it is a very bad idea to make it a crime to deny any historical fact, no matter how absurd or malicious may be the denial. It does indeed curb freedom of speech.

Ban on global warming film lifted

2007-01-26T12:12:00.000-08:00

The Federal Way school district in Washington state has lifted a two-week ban on the showing of Al Gore's documentary about global warming, An Inconvenient Truth, but with the proviso that if the film is shown opposing views on global warming must also be presented. The controversy began when the district distributed a newsletter notifying teachers about free copies of the film for use in classrooms, but some parents objected.

A seventh grade science teacher of this district was informed by her principal that she would receive a disciplinary letter for attempting to show this film. She was told she was not following school board rules that require her to seek written permission to present "controversial" materials in class, according to an article by Blaine Harden of the Washington Post.

Associated Press reports that in Yakima, "members of Eisenhower High School's Environmental Club had planned last week to show the film after school, but the school's principal put the brakes on the screening when she heard about the plans."

Bahrain: Two convicted for disseminating "subversive" literature

2007-01-22T18:44:00.000-08:00

Two individuals in Bahrain face sentencing of up to seven years imprisonment for downloading with intent to distribute literture calling for a boycott of the country's upcoming election. International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX) reports:

On November 16, 2006, Dr M. Al Sahlawi (Dentist, age 35) and Mr. H. Al Hebshi (Insurance sales executive, age 32) were arrested by Bahraini authorities after being found in possession of a publication deemed by the authorities to be "subversive literature". This publication, downloaded from the Internet, called on Bahrainis to boycott the parliamentary elections held in November 2006.

Dr. Al Sahlawi and Mr. Al Hebshi had arranged for 1500 copies of the publication to be made and they intended to share it with others. Their expression of support for the ideas contained in the publication was deemed by the Bahraini Public Prosecution to be "favouring and promoting regime change by illegal means, without legitimate reason" and "spreading news and false provocative rumors, which would cause disruptions of public security and damage general interest".

As such, the two men face charges of crimes related to State Security under the Bahraini Penal Code no. 15 of 1976. (The Code has been severely criticized by human rights organizations for the excessive power it grants the government to suppress any dissent).

The Public Prosecutor set forth the charges on the basis of Articles 160, 161 and 168 of the Penal Code, which prescribe prison sentences for possessing or disseminating thoughts and ideas that could "damage public interest". If convicted, Dr. Al Sahlawi and Mr. Al Hebshi could be imprisoned for up to seven years for intending to express themselves and taking steps to disseminate this information to others.

China restricts prime-time television programming

2007-01-22T18:32:00.000-08:00

China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) has ordered that only "ethically inspiring" television programs may be broadcast during the prime time hours. The restrictions are to go into effect in February and last at least eight months. According to China's press agency, Xinhua, "SARFT has instituted a four-level censorship system for home-made TV series. Before being screened, homemade TV series must be vetted by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and by the SARFT."

The Xinhua report says the restrictions have been imposed with an eye toward the upcoming Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, scheduled to take place later this year. It also notes that SARFT "has previously imposed several restrictions on TV programs, including a ban on foreign cartoons during prime time from last September, and a crackdown on 'vulgar reality shows' earlier this month."

Turkish Armenian writer killed in Instanbul

2007-01-20T13:34:00.000-08:00

Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was shot and killed Friday in Istanbul. Dink, age 53, was editor of the a pro-democracy journal, Agos. He had been convicted of violating the infamous Article 301 of Turkey's criminal code, which prohibits insulting Turkish identity, for his writings on Turkey's killing of approximately one million Armenians in the early 20th century. He had been sentenced to six months in prison but the sentence was overturned. He was awaiting retrial at the time of his death. For a detailed account of his life see the Guardian (UK); see also David Durant's Heretical Librarian.

China bans eight books

2007-01-20T08:35:00.000-08:00

China's General Administration of Press and Publications has banned eight books by intellectuals and writers reflecting on sensitive historical events over the past six decades. As summarized by yesterday's South China Morning Post, the banned books include:

Cang Sang by Xiao Jian tells the story of a man in northern Shaanxi from the 1911 Revolution to the Great Leap Forward.
I Object: The Road to Politics by a People's Congress Member by journalist Zhu Ling tells of the 12-year struggle of activist Yao Lifa to run for a seat in the local legislature.
Past Stories of Peking Opera Stars by Zhang Yihe is an account of the lives and deaths of seven Peking Opera artists.
The Family History of an Ordinary Chinese by Guo Ya describes the experiences of a normal Chinese family during the war of liberation, the Cultural Revolution and other eras.
The Other Stories of History: My Days at the Supplement Division of the People's Daily by Yuan Ying is a memoir of time working for the People's Daily.
Era of History edited by Kuang Chen is a historic series on major events from the 1950s to the 1980s.
This is How it Goes@sars.com by Hu Fayun tells the story of a woman who fell in love with the internet at the cost of her relationship with a vice-mayor during the Sars outbreak.
The Press by Zhu Huaxiang uses fictional characters to tell of the intrigues and behind-the-news stories of China's media industry.

Human Rights Watch annual report released

2007-01-17T17:24:00.000-08:00

Human Rights Watch has issued its annual report on worldwide human rights conditions. The report includes country-by-country reports, as well as discussion of general worldwide issues. The introduction by HRW director Kenneth Roth criticized the U.S. government's "use of detention without trial and interrogation by torture." Roth urged the European Union to take up the leadership role in advancing human rights, but also criticized the EU for its weak response to some serious violations of human rights. He also singled out for criticism Russia and China for their repressive policies, and "Sudan’s criminal campaign in Darfur."

Cuban writers protest return of censor

2007-01-16T23:20:00.000-08:00

Cuban intellectuals have protested the return of a hardline official resposible for Stalinist like cultural policies during the 1970s. The official is "Luis Pavon Tamayo, who as head of the National Culture Council from 1971 to 1976 led witch-hunts against writers and artists not toeing the party line on proletarian revolution," reports Reuters. Pavon was interviewed on a Jan. 5 television program "featuring guests who have made important contributions to Cuban culture, but no mention was made of his role in censoring writers."

During Pavon's reign, many writers were imprisoned or hounded from their jobs, homosexuals were persecuted, Beatles music and miniskirts were banned, and officials would stop long-haired youth to cut their hair in public. Cuba's most celebrated playwright, Anton Arrufat, described how he lost his job and "was sent to work in a library basement for nine years tying parcels of books with rope." He was not allowed to publish for 14 years.

Writers who had later been rehabilitated led the protest, with what Reuters describes as an avalanche of internet messages. They met with Cuban Cuban Culture Minister Abel Prieto to raise their concerns but Prieto refused to apologize for the decision. Observers believe Pavon's reemergence may be an attempt by hardliners within the Cuban Communist Party to shore up their position at a time when the country is in transition with Castro's failing health.

Morocco journal banned, journalists tried

2007-01-15T21:06:00.000-08:00

A Morroco journal has been banned, with its editor and one of its journalists fined and given suspended sentences. They are charged with insulting Islam for publishing a ten-page article about religious jokes. Holly Manges Jones of Jurist reports: "Journalist Sanaa al-Aji and Driss Ksikes, editor of Nichane [media website, in Arabic] weekly, were given suspended sentences of three years, fined $9,280 each, and are prohibited from engaging in any journalistic activity for two months. Prosecutors had asked the court to impose much harsher 3-5 year prison terms, but the pair said they still plan to appeal the sentences they did receive." Reporters without Borders and National Press Union of Morocco have protested the trial.

Nichane has posted at its website a petition for people to sign supporting its right to publish freely. It states:

We, the undersigned, strongly condemn the unlawful ban imposed on Nichane weekly and the legal proceedings started against the editor and a journalist working for the magazine after the publication of a special report on “jokes” in Morocco.

We maintain that the ban is illegal and, in view of its form and substance, reinforces the extra-judiciary repressive measures already in force. We further believe that the ban and the legal proceedings undermine the rights and liberties established by the international authorities and human rights principles.

While we express our full and wholehearted solidarity with Nichane and call for the annulment of the ban and the dropping of the charges against its journalists, we reiterate our plea for the amendment of liberticidal laws regarding freedom of the press and freedom of opinion and thought.

Iran intensifies book banning

2007-01-11T17:18:00.000-08:00

Book censorship in Iran, a fact of life for the last 25 years, has drastically worsened under its current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, according to a Jan. 6 NPR report. The government is not raiding bookstores, but new books and older books seeking reprints must be approved by the Ministry of Culture. Thousands of books languish in a kind of censorship limbo, with officials neither saying whether they approve or disapprove. Thanks to David Durant of Heretical Librarian, who has written several entries on this topic.

"Gay" penguin book back on shelves for now

2007-01-11T16:46:00.000-08:00

A book about two male penguins who raised a baby penguin will not face a formal review from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools of North Carolina, school officials said. The book, And Tango Makes Three, was based on a true story of two male penguins at New York City's Central Park Zoo, who paired up and hatched an adopted egg. It was removed from four elementary school libraries in the district following some parents protests. However the school district superintendent said procedure was not followed correctly, so the books are back on the shelves pending further protest.

Creationist book at Grand Canyon: group demands it be banned

2007-01-04T12:50:00.000-08:00

The Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility has asked new National Park Service Director Mary Bomar to remove the book Grand Canyon: a Different View from the Grand Canyon's South Rim store shelves. The book argues that the Grand Canyon was created a few thousand years ago, rather than five to six million years ago as commonly believed by geologists, with some rock layers dating to 1.7 billion years.

The book has been available at the store for the last three years. "We do not use the creationist text in our teaching, nor do we endorse its content. However, it is not our place to censor alternate beliefs," Park Service spokesman David Barna said.

Old classics eliminated at Virginia library

2007-01-01T20:31:00.000-08:00

Not a censorship issue per se, but with similar effect: the Fairfax county library system in Virginia is eliminating thousands of classics and other revered literature to make way for more popular modern novels, computers, audiovisual areas, and individual study carrels in the libraries. Lisa Rein of the Washington Post (Jan. 3) reports:

"You can't find "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" at the Fairfax City Regional Library anymore. Or "The Education of Henry Adams" at Sherwood Regional. Want Emily Dickinson's "Final Harvest"? Don't look to the Kingstowne branch.

"It's not that the books are checked out. They're just gone. No one was reading them, so librarians took them off the shelves and dumped them.

"Along with those classics, thousands of novels and nonfiction works have been eliminated from the Fairfax County collection after a new computer software program showed that no one had checked them out in at least 24 months.

"Public libraries have always weeded out old or unpopular books to make way for newer titles. But the region's largest library system is taking turnover to a new level.

"Like Borders and Barnes & Noble, Fairfax is responding aggressively to market preferences, calculating the system's return on its investment by each foot of space on the library bookshelves -- and figuring out which products will generate the biggest buzz. So books that people actually want are easy to find, but many books that no one is reading are gone -- even if they are classics..."

Thanks to Fred Stoss for posting a link to this article on the SRRT Action Council email forum of the American Library Association.

Radiation sickness report published 61 years later

2006-12-29T08:58:00.000-08:00

A detailed report by news correspondent George Weller on radiation sickness following the dropping of nuclear bombs in Japan has been published, four years after his death and 61 years after it was censored by the U.S. army. Weller, the first reporter to reach Nagasaki after it was bombed, had written the stories for the (now defunct) Chicago Daily News. He sent the report series, about 75 typewritten pages with photos, to the military censors in Tokyo for approval, but General Douglas MacArthur ordered them destroyed. Weller died in 2002 at the age of 95 and his son discovered carbon copies of the writings in his father's apartment in Rome. The book, First Into Nagasaki, is due out this week. Weller's reports were similar to that of Australian (communist) news correspondent Wilfred Burchett, who had reported on the aftermath of the nuclear devastation of Hiroshima, but contrary to the officially approved reports of New York Times correspondent William Laurance, later discovered to be on the White House payroll, who praised the bombings and dismissed reports of radiation sickness as "Japanese propaganda."