Introduction

Freedom to publish is a fundamental subset of freedom of expression, and is a prerequisite for a thriving publishing industry, which is itself an essential part of a democratic society and a basis for a knowledge economy. The protection and promotion of freedom to publish is therefore one of IPA's key objectives. To find out more about freedom to publish, and what IPA does in this field, please take a look at the various pages of this section.

Latest News

IPA urges the transitional Egyptian Government to stop attacking publishers who are exercising their civil rights. See Press Release of 22 December 2011.

On 9 December 2011, IPA wrote to the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression to seek their support in condemning Russia’s anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) advocacy legislation as breaching Russia’s international obligations under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Turkey’s leading freedom of expression advocate, publisher Ragıp Zarakolu, has been on pre-trial detention for two weeks under terrorism charges. On 4 November, he was moved to a high security “F-Type” prison in the city of Izmit, 80 km east of Istanbul. IPA and PEN International are seriously concerned about the effect that the harsh detention conditions could have on his health. IPA and PEN International are also seriously concerned that his pre-trial detention – likely to last a year - is in violation of Turkey’s international treaty obligations, in particular Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), and therefore demand that he, his son Deniz, and Professor and writer Büşra Ersanlı, and all other writers and journalists held solely for their writings and other legitimate activities, be released immediately. See Joint IPA PEN Press Release of 15 November 2011 (Day of the Imprisoned Writer).

Publisher Irfan Sancı (Sel Yayıncılık/Publishing), recipient of the “2010 IPA Freedom Prize—Special Award” and translator Suha Sertabiboglu are again brought to trial on obscenity charges (Art. 226, Turkish penal code) for publishing William Burroughs’ The Soft Machine. This is the latest in a series of trials targeting publisher Sancı and his translations of contemporary foreign literature. IPA will observe the second court hearing tomorrow (9:00 a.m. in Caglayan). If convicted, Sancı and Sertabiboglu face between 6 months and 3 years in prison. IPA calls for their immediate acquittal, and for an end to the obscenity trials against publishers and translators of works by foreign writers that are freely published outside Turkey. See Press Release of 10 October 2011.

IPA has expressed grave concern that Bui Chat leader of Giay Vun Publishing House and winner of the IPA’s 2011 Freedom to Publish Award, has been subject to repeated detention and harassment since his return to Vietnam from accepting the award on 30 April. On 8 June this escalated into a physical attack on Bui Chat by a group of assailants. See Press Release of 8 June 2011.See Press Release of 3 May 2011.See Press Release of 1 May 2011. See Press Release of 25 April 2011.

IPA is deeply concerned  about the situation of private publishers in Iran following the  issuance of a blacklist of leading independent Iranian publishers and writers earlier this year and their ensuing persecution. In this context, IPA welcomes the appointment by the United Nations Human Rights Council in late March of a Special Rapporteur to look into the situation in Iran, and is also seeking the UN’s assistance in approaching the Iranian authorities in order to ask them to stop attacking the human rights of their country’s independent publishers and writers. See Open Letter of 21 April 2011.

The Board of IPA met in Paris on 10 February 2010 and together with its Egyptian member, the Egyptian Publishers Association (EPA), issued a joint declaration calling on Egyptian authorities to respect freedom to publish, to investigate the murder of journalist and publisher Ahmed Mohamed Mahmoud, and to allow the instauration of an independent Cairo book fair, free of interference. EPA has also announced the creation of an independent freedom to publish committee to address freedom to publish issues in the country. IPA hopes that this action taken by EPA will serve as a model for other publishers associations in the region to follow. See Press Release of 10 February 2011. See Joint IPA-EPA Declaration.

On 11 October 1993, Norwegian publisher William Nygaard was shot and seriously wounded outside his home in Oslo. The reason behind the attempted assassination was allegedly the publication of the Norwegian edition of Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses, in which the religious authorities in Iran had issued a fatwa against those who published this book. The police discontinued the investigation and the case was dismissed. But the Public Prosecutor has recently ordered the case to be reopened. In an attempt to bring the person(s) responsible for the misdeed to trial, a NOK 500.000 reward is offered by Norwegian publishers to anyone who can offer crucial information to the Police in the investigation. ”This unsolved case is a painful case in our society, and a threat to independent publishing and freedom of speech, which are basic premises for a democtratic society”, says Geir Berdahl, Chairman of the Board of the Norwegian Publishers Association. See Press Release of 25 November 2010. 

In a letter to President Hu Jintao, IPA expressed its deep concern over the fate of the distinguished Tibetan author and editor Tragyal, and called for his immediate release from prison. Better known under his pen name, Shogdung, he was taken into custody on 23 April 2010 and charged with "inciting splittism" following publication of his book The Line between Sky and Earth, and is being held in Xining No. 1 Detention Centre. His arrest is apparently part of a wider crackdown on Tibetan writers and intellectuals. See Press Release of 24 August 2010.