Twenty years after the genocide in Rwanda

 Kris Berwouts and Ivan Godfroid (right), both are Central Africa specialists. Twenty years after the genocide in Rwanda they are sharing their knowledge and feelings about what happened there and and what the situation in the region and in Rwanda itself is to date.

The basis for the discussion is Ivan's poetry book 'Omgewoelde aarde' (Disturbed earth). The book is in three sections. The first one with the motto: During the day Imana (god) roams over the earth, at night he comes to sleep in Rwanda. En deep expression of the beauty and peacefulness of the country. The second motto is: to where the river runs also the rocks roll. The unrest, the uneasiness, the doom is present. Every noise could be the last thing one hears... Foreboding and the reality of it. the third section opens with the motto: It is not the pain of the moment which kills but it's constant memory. The Oratorium for Rwanda was played and the contrast between the joyful strong rhythmic music we are used to hear with the deep inwardness and silence was chilling. Jean De Mey performed a beautiful and haunting improvisation rendering the screams and pain of those mad hundred days in 1994 in which 800.000 people were slaughtered in one hundred days. Rwanda is hauntingly beautiful country, machetes are still the tool of choice and are seen everywhere. Hope lies with the new post genocide generation. Yet overpopulation could destabilize the whole region including the North-east of Congo. Every twenty years the population doubles. Every twenty years there is less land per person to live off and  the seeds of new conflicts lay dormant, for now.

Master Muharrem Erbey

Here you see a picture of the happy times of Mater Huharrem Erbey. He is surrounded by his wife and two sons, all looking happy and content together. He is a highly respected human rights lawyer, He compiled the reports on disappearances, cases of torture and extra-judicial killings. He represented individuals on all court levels, including the European Court of Human Rights.

He also is a published author, editor and columnist. In 2007 Erbey

co-edited a publication of Kurdish and Turkish stories by 35 authors. It was distributed for free by Diyarbakir Metropolitan Municipality to the local people. The mayor then was prosecuted for doing so under a law which prohibited the use of the Kurdish alphabet and has in the mean time been abolished. Master Erbey defended the mayor and landed in jail himself.

He is deeply unhappy in jail, longs for freedom and misses his family as much as they miss him. Life in prison is unhealthy, so he also physically is suffering. I am convinced that Muharrem never used violence, nor incited people to use violence.  In his own words:"I have been incarcerated for the last three years… because of the speeches I have made on human rights and the peaceful resolution of the Kurdish issue at parliaments in Britain, Sweden, Belgium and at the UN in Geneva. My speeches and comments never contained words of violence."

Please take action!
There are a number of actions that PEN members can take:
 .Write to your country’s Turkish ambassador (contact details of Turkish embassies worldwide can be found here)
·for European centres: Raise Erbey’s case with your Member of European Parliament (MEP)
·Write letters and postcards of support to Muharrem Erbey in prison. Such correspondence can provide an important psychological lift and has been greatly appreciated by Muharrem Erbey in the past
· Write blog pieces about Muharrem Erbey’s case and share these on social media, particularly around the date of his next trial session on January13, 2014.
·Write articles and letters that will raise awareness of Muharrem Erbey’s case in your local and national media.


Muharrem Erbey’s Prison Address
Muharrem Erbey
Diyarbakır D Tipi Yüksek Güvenlikli Kapalı Ceza İnfaz Kurumu
Diyarbakır
Turkey

PEN- in Krakow- Afterthoughts

The PEN conference in Krakow was wonderful. Not just because of the charm of the city, the many parks we crossed from the hotel to the Manggha which was our work venue. We met many good people from all over the world, committed to freedom of speech, committed to see to it that authors who have to flee have a place to stay in the ICORN cities (International Cities of Refuge Network) and Antwerp will be one. 

Pen goes on missions to countries, often funded by Ifex. Usually these missions are a case in volatile situations. 2011 in Bahrein, 2012 to China. Ambassadors held private events at the embassies inviting all kinds of writers.

The mission to Mexico dealt with the fact that it is about Writers at Risk: authors being killed, rather than being imprisoned. Difficult diplomatic work, supported by well-known authors, engaging the local PEN-centra, engaging with the press... 

Turkey was a mission with a mix that maximized the impact through working with private and public engagements. Through the public events PEN was in the press and the government did pay attention.

We should never forget that we are writers in solidarity with other writers and correspondences of beautiful letters among writers are important, even if not writing about the subject of Freedom of Expression. The testimonies were moving like C. from Tibet. He left when he was 17. He has not seen his mother since 17 years. One of his nieces was killed by soldiers, two of his nephews self-immolated as the ultimate action of revolt and free will.

The creature comforts were catered to. The sweets in the coffee breaks were excellent, lunches also taking into account vegetarians... The organization did a wonderful job. From PEN - Flanders we went with four people: Two from the Writers in Prison Committee, one for ICORN, and one who is our observer for Russia. We are blessed with freedom of speech which we should use, thus honoring the courage of the writers in prison, the Writers at Risk, and the ICORN writers. I write this in gratitude to all poets, novelists and writers...