Iranian Woman Awarded IPA Publishers' Freedom Prize

9/28/06

Originally at: http://www.payvand.com/news/06/sep/1316.html

The International Publishers' Association (IPA) has announced that Shahla Lahiji, the first female publisher in Iran, has been awarded the inaugural IPA Publishers' Freedom Prize.

Source: International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX)

Shahla Lahiji

The award, worth 5,000 CHF (US$4,000), honours individuals or organisations anywhere in the world that have made a notable contribution to the defence or promotion of the right to freedom of expression.

Born in 1942, Lahiji became the first female publisher in Iran when she founded her publishing house, Roshangaran, in 1983. Since then, she has published over 200 titles, many of them works by women. Lahiji is also a writer and a translator.

Lahiji has been harassed and targeted on many occasions over the years for her work as a publisher, says IPA. In 2000, she was jailed for several months on charges of "acting against national security" after giving a speech at a cultural conference in Berlin about political reform in Iran. In 2005, her publishing house was fire-bombed by unknown assailants, resulting in the destruction of many manuscripts.

On 21 September, IPA presented the award to Lahiji at the Göteborg Book Fair in Sweden. The theme of this year's fair is freedom of expression and its programme is coordinated in partnership with IPA and International PEN.

For more information, visit:
- IPA: http://www.ipa-uie.org
- Göteborg Book Fair: http://www.ipa-uie.org/freedom/freedom_pub/English_sempro.pdf

http://www.payvand.com/news/06/oct/1046.html

Iran: Article 19, Freedom House Spotlight Censorship
Source: International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX)
With much of the world's attention on Iran, ARTICLE 19 and Freedom House have launched new publications aimed at shedding light on the state of free expression in the country and the challenges faced by artists, writers, journalists and dissidents.

ARTICLE 19's report "Unveiled: Art and Censorship in Iran" contains personal accounts of Iranian musicians, poets, painters, film-makers and actors who have faced censorship because of their work.
It finds that "in spite of the mechanisms through which censorship is exercised and the myriad number of difficulties artists face in Iran, Iran's rich artistic and cultural heritage has managed to endure and transcend these stringent controls."

Freedom House has launched "Gozaar" ("Transition"), a new online magazine aimed at providing Iranians with a forum for discussing democracy and human rights. It is a bi-monthly magazine in Persian and English that features interviews, essays, political cartoons, feature articles, satire and reviews of art, film and literature in Iran.
One of the main features of "Gozaar" is its moderated discussion forums in which readers from around the world can contribute their opinions in either Persian or English.
To prevent government surveillance or blockage of the site, "Gozaar" uses innovative internet security technologies to allow readers in Iran or elsewhere to bypass censors and filters. The magazine is funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other private sources.