PEN International has a tradition of “Empty Chairs” for those whose voices cannot be heard but must be. During meetings, discussions, events, and stage appearances, there remains an “empty chair” with the portrait of an imprisoned writer — someone who cannot be present here and now physically, but whose place is symbolically with us.
This moving and powerful expression of solidarity ran through the entire 91st PEN International Congress in Kraków. The Congress opened on September 2 with an “empty chair” for essayist, journalist, and blogger Andrzej Poczobut, and on September 4, the birthday of lawyer and writer Maksim Znak, the “empty chair” again honored a Belarusian author.
We thank PEN International and all other PEN Centres for supporting Belarusian imprisoned writers and for giving their voices a chance to be heard.
In turn, we express our solidarity with imprisoned writers around the world. We were heartened that among us at the Congress tables there were also symbolically present Amanda Echanis (Philippines), Amanuel Asrat (Eritrea), María Cristina Garrido Rodríguez (Cuba), Boualem Sansal (Algeria), Gui Minhai (China), Alex Barga (Mozambique), Ashraf Omar (Egypt), Mohamed Tadjadit (Algeria), Rory Branker (Venezuela), and Iryna Danylovych (Ukraine, occupied Crimea). We call for their immediate and unconditional release.
PEN Belarus continues to defend freedom of speech, the rights of writers, journalists, and all authors. We consistently stand for freedom of expression and strive to draw the attention of both the Belarusian and international community to the violations of authors’ rights.