by Banned Books Week 2022 is September 18 – 24, but you can take action on the cases below until October 31.
Each year during Banned Books Week, Amnesty International draws attention to people around the world who have been imprisoned, threatened, or murdered because of their writing, art, or other published work. As a member of the Banned Books Week Coalition and in solidarity with the American Library Association (ALA) and organizations around the world, Amnesty activists work to fight challenges to freedom of expression.
Take action on these cases now through October 31
LUIS MANUEL OTERO ALCÁNTARA & OSORBO
ARTIST& MUSICIAN
CUBA
Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, a visual artist, and Maykel Castillo Pérez, a rap singer also known as “Osorbo,” have been in pre-trial detention for nearly a year. On June 24, 2022 they were sentenced to 5 and 9 years in prison respectively, for participating in a peaceful demonstration and artistic performance, and criticizing President Miguel Díaz-Canel. The Cuban government should immediately and unconditionally release them.
https://act.amnestyusa.org/page/111127/action/1?ea.tracking.id=bbw22
MORE THAN 1,000 DAYS OF UNJUST IMPRISONMENT
Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah has now endured over 1,000 days in unjust detention, where prison and security officials have subjected him to a catalogue of human rights violations including torture and other ill-treatment, in reprisal for his prominent role in the 2011 revolution.
https://act.amnestyusa.org/page/111128/action/1?ea.tracking.id=bbw22
ZAHRA SEDIGHI-HAMADANI – LGBTI ACTIVIST
IRAN
Zahra Sedighi-Hamadani, known as Sareh, is a gender nonconforming LGBTI human rights defender and in October 2021, Revolutionary Guards arbitrarily detained her in connection with her real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as her social media posts defending LGBTI rights. She was convicted of “corruption on earth” and sentenced to death on September 4, 2022.
https://act.amnestyusa.org/page/111129/action/1?ea.tracking.id=bbw22
JEANNOT RANDRIAMANANA
TEACHER AND ACTIVIST, MADAGASCAR
School teacher and human rights defender Jeannot Randriamanana was sentenced to two years in prison for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression when he denounced on Facebook the alleged mismanagement and embezzlement of humanitarian aid by several authority figures in the district of Nosy Varika, in east Madagascar.
https://act.amnestyusa.org/page/110867/action/1?ea.tracking.id=bbw22
ANNA JIHAD
STUDENT JOURNALIST, OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES
Janna Jihad just wants a normal childhood for herself and all other Palestinian children. But the 15-year-old Palestinian teen lives in the Israeli-occupied West Bank – and life under systematic discrimination is anything but normal. Having begun documenting military violations at the age of seven, Janna’s principled journalism has attracted unwanted attention. She’s been harassed and threatened with death, but she won’t give up – not until institutional racism against Palestinians ends.
TAKE ACTION: https://act.amnestyusa.org/page/111904/action/1?ea.tracking.id=bbw22
VLADYSLAV YESYPENKO
JOURNALIST, UKRAINE/CRIMEA
Freelance journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko was arrested by de-facto authorities in Russia-occupied Crimea on March 10, 2021 and was sentenced to 6 years in prison on February 16, 2022.
TAKE ACTION: https://act.amnestyusa.org/page/111126/action/1?ea.tracking.id=bbw22
For more information visit: https://www.amnestyusa.org/banned-books-2022/
