Worldwide Reading for Freedom of the Press and in Memory of Jamal Khashoggi on 10th December 2018

On December 10, 1948, 70 years ago, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was announced by the United Nations General Assembly at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris. On this anniversary, the international literature festival berlin (ilb) calls upon individuals, institutions, universities, schools, and media who value freedom of the press and human rights to organize and participate in a worldwide reading in memory of the murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

APPEAL

On December 10, 1948, 70 years ago, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was announced by the United Nations General Assembly at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris. On this anniversary, the international literature festival berlin (ilb) calls upon individuals, institutions, universities, schools, and media who value freedom of the press and human rights to organize and participate in a worldwide reading in memory of the murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The last time Khashoggi was seen alive was when he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. After nearly three weeks of silence, Saudi Arabia admitted that he died there during a fight with Saudi officials. However, the evidence – such as the deployment of a fifteen-member team of security officers including a forensic scientist – indicates that the murder of Khashoggi was planned well in advance or, at the very least, accepted. The involvement of the highest levels of the Saudi Arabian government, including the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is very likely, since such an action against a prominent critic of the regime would hardly be undertaken without the approval of the royal family. Until now, Saudi Arabia has not offered any clues about the location of Khashoggi’s body. The initiators of the worldwide reading demand the complete and transparent truth about the events that transpired. The responsible parties must be held accountable.

In the last text written by the 59-year-old (he would have celebrated his sixtieth birthday on October 13, 2018) Saudi journalist, which the Washington Post published two weeks after his disappearance, Khashoggi emphatically calls for freedom of expression in the Arab world. His firm stance has now cost the journalist his life.

This murder is the climax of a series of oft-unsolved murders of male and female journalists in recent years, as seen by recent cases in Mexico, Bulgaria, Malta, and Slovakia. Freedom of the press and freedom of expression, the indispensability of which Khashoggi emphasized with regard to the Arab world, is under threat everywhere, including in Europe. Consequently, journalists and political dissidents, even those in exile, are no longer safe, as this case blatantly shows. Jamal Khashoggi is simply the most prominent victim thus far. Many murders against journalists do not even reach the attention of the world public. We also remember that in Turkey, too, freedom of the press is extremely restricted. Over 150 journalists and authors are imprisoned, with some serving lifelong sentences.

At the same time, this incident has already led to serious consequences for international politics and the global economy. Numerous leading managers and economic policy makers will no longer participate in the large Future Investment Initiative scheduled to take place in Riyadh at the end of October. Therefore, this incident clearly shows that the protection of freedom of the press and freedom of expression and the fight against the murder of journalists and extrajudicial state killings are not about some kind of unrealistic idealism in terms of human rights, but rather that we are all affected by these crimes – culturally, politically, and economically.

If this incident, the most stunning murder of a journalist in recent years, does not lead to consequences – what then? Who will be the next murdered journalist, activist, or dissident, and in which country? Even after the partial confession by the Saudis, this incident may not be swept under the rug. Remembering Khashoggi on the anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights is intended to make this emphatically clear.

With all this in mind, on December 10, we call upon you to participate in the worldwide reading of texts by Jamal Khashoggi and – depending on the specific national context – other murdered, missing, and imprisoned journalists. Please send information about the reading in your location to worldwidereading@literaturfestival.com so that we may publicize the events on our websites http://www.worldwide-reading.com and www.literaturfestival.com.

Ulrich Schreiber
Festival Director, international literature festival berlin

خاشقجي

في الذكرى السبعين للإعلان العالمي لحقوق الإنسان بتاريخ 10 ديسمبر 2018

في العاشر من ديسمبر عام 1948 صدر الإعلان العالمي لحقوق الإنسان من الجمعية العامة للأمم المتحدة في باريس. بهذه المناسبة يدعو مهرجان الأدب الدولي في برلين كل من تهمّهم حرية الصحافة وحقوق الإنسان من أفراد ومؤسسات وجامعات ومدارس ووسائل إعلام لتنظيم قراءات عالمية أو المشاركة فيها في ذكرى الصحفي السعودي المقتول جمال خاشقجي.
شوهد الأخير حياً للمرة الأخيرة في 2 أكتوبر، عندما دخل القنصلية السعودية في اسطنبول. وقد اعترفت السعودية بعد ثلاثة أسابيع من اختفائه أن خاشقجي مات من جراء “اشتباك” حصل بينه وبين موظفين سعوديين. إلا أن الأدلة، منها إرسال طاقم أمني سعودي الى القنصلية في ذات النهار، بينهم طبيب شرعي، تشير إلى أن اغتيال خاشقجي كان مخططاً له أو مقبولاً على الأقل لدى القيادة السعودية، مع العلم أن تورُّط أعلى المسؤولين في السعودية في الجريمة، بما في ذلك ولي العهد محمد بن سلمان، أمر وارد جداً. كما أن السعودية لم تشر بأية عبارة إلى مكان وجود جثة المقتول. يطالب المبادرون للقراءة العالمية بالكشف الكامل والشفاف عن حيثيات هذه الجريمة وبمحاسبة المسؤولين عنها.
لقد طالب جمال خاشقجي الذي كان سيدخل الـ60 سنة من عمره في 13 أكتوبر 2018 في مقاله الأخير في صحيفة واشنطن بوست، والتي نشرتها الصحيفة بعد أسبوعين من اختفائه، بضرورة حرية الرأي في العالم العربي، ودفع ثمن هذا الموقف حياته.
قتل جمال خاشقجي هو الأخير في سلسلة اغتيالات بحق صحفيين وصحفيات في الآونة الأخيرة، منها جرائم حدثت في المكسيك وبلغاريا ومالطا وسلوفاكيا، ولم يُكشف عن جميع حيثياتها. مما يوضح أن حرية الرأي والصحافة التي طالب بها خاشقجي للعالم العربي مهددة في كل مكان، وأيضاً في أوروبا، وأن أي شخص معارض ليس في أمان، حتى لو تواجد في المنفى. قضية جمال خاشقجي قضية بارزة، إلا أن الكثير من حالات القتل ضد الصحفيين لا تصل أخبارها إلى عناوين الصحف العالمية. يضاً في أوروبا

انعكست هذه القضية على السياسة والتجارة الدولية، فالكثير من رؤساء الشركات والسياسيين الاقتصاديين ألغوا مشاركتهم في مؤتمر استثماري كبير في الرياض في نهاية شهر أكتوبر، مما يُثبت أن حماية حرية الصحافة والرأي ومقاومة قتل الصحفيين على أيدي الدول ليست مجرد مثالية ساذجة، بل أنها قضية تهمّنا جميعاً من الناحية الثقافية والسياسية والاقتصادية.
أما إذا كانت قضية خاشقجي بصفتها أفدح حالة اغتيال بحق صحفي في السنوات الأخيرة لا تؤدي الى عواقب، فمن سيكون مصيره نفس مصير جمال خاشقجي من الصحفيين والناشطين والمعارضين، وفي أية دولة؟ حماية الصحفيين والناشطين تعني حماية الجميع. لا يجوز أن يُستر على هذه القضية حتى بعد شبه الاعتراف الذي جاءت به السعودية. نود أن نشير إلى ذلك بإلحاح بمناسبة ذكرى الإعلان العالمي لحقوق الإنسان، عندما نذكّر بمصير جمال خاشقجي في الوقت نفسه.
كما نذكّر أيضاً بأن حرية الصحافة مقيدة الى حد بعيد في تركيا أيضاً، حيث يقبع في سجونها أكثر من 150 صحفياً وكاتباً، وقد صدرت بحق بعضهم أحكام تصل إلى السجن مدى الحياة.
على هذه الخلفية ندعو للمشاركة في القراءات العالمية لنصوص جمال خاشقجي في العاشر من ديسمبر، أو قراءة نصوص غيره من الصحفيين المقتولين أو المختفين أو المسجونين، بحسب سياق كل بلد. مع الرجاء أن ترسلوا لنا معلومات عن هذه الفعاليات في أماكنكم إلى العنوان worldwidereading@literaturfestival.com ، حتى نشير إليها في صفحاتنا الالكترونية www.worldwide-reading.com

SIGNATORIES

Héctor Abad, Colombia

Basma Abdel Aziz, Egypt

Anna Aguilar-Amat, Spain

Scott Anderson, USA

Kerri Arsenault, USA

Vladimir Arsenijević, Serbia

Margaret Atwood, Canada

Paul Auster, USA

Hanan Awwad, Palestine

Mahnaz Badihian, Iran/USA

Zsófia Bán, Hungary

Doreen Baingana, Uganda

Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin, Sudan

Maria Cecilia Barbetta, Argentina/ Germany

Priya Basil, UK/ Germany

Zoë Beck, Germany

Mohammed Bennis, Morocco

Charles Bernstein, USA

Manfred Bissinger, Germany

Carmen Boullosa, Mexico

Hans Christoph Buch, Germany

Teresa M. L. R. Cadete, Portugal

Brian Castro, Australia
Evans Chan, China/ USA

Bernice Chauly, Malaysia

Amir Hassan Cheheltan, Iran

Christos Chryssopoulos, Greece

Jennifer Clement, Mexico/ USA

Bora Ćosić, Serbia/ Germany

Mark Z. Danielewski, USA

Radka Denemarková, Czech Republic

Emmanuel Delloye, France

Migmar Dhakyel, Germany

Ariel Dorfman, Chile

Reimer Eilers, Germany

Jean-Louis Fabiani, France

Stella Gaitano, South Sudan

V.V. (Sugi) Ganeshananthan, Sri Lanka/ USA

Paul Gilroy, UK

Namita Gokhale, India

Elvira M. Gross, Austria

Christian Grote, Germany

Miriam Haidle, Germany

Milton Hatoum, Brazil

Alban Nikolai Herbst, Germany

Iman Humaydan, Lebanon

Siri Hustvedt, USA

Hannele Huovi, Finland

Rolf Hosfeld, Germany

Elfriede Jelinek, Austria

Pierre Joris, Luxembourg/ USA

Christoph Jürgensen, Germany

Samir Kacimi, Algerie

Archil Kikodze, Georgia

Vjačeslav G. Kuprijanov, Russia

Andrei Kurkov, Ukraine

Stan Lafleur, Germany

Louis Jensen, Denmark

Christoph Leisten, Germany

Bernard Henri Lévy, France

Joris Lieve, Belgium

Mario Vargas Llosa, Peru/ Spain

Jonas Lüscher, Germany/ Switzerland

Lisa McInerney, Ireland

Nikola Madzirov, Republic of Macedonia

Sindiwe Magona, Southafrica

Vasyl Makhno, Ukraine

Zakes Mda, Southafrica

March for Science e.V., Germany

Claus Martin

Tanja Gabriele Baudson

Lorenzo Marsili, Italy

John Mateer, Southafrica/ Australia

Eva Menasse, Austria/ Germany

Maaza Mengiste, Ethiopia/ USA

Amanda Michalopoulou, Greece

Hala Mohammad, Syria

Fanny Moreno, Colombia

Davide Morosinotto, Italy

Ibrahim Nasrallah, Jordan

Ralf Nestmeyer, Germany

Quito Nicolaas, The Netherlands

Norman Ohler, Germany

Laksmi Pamuntjak, Indonesia

Elisabeth Plessen, Germany

Francine Prose, USA

Laura Restrepo, Colombia

David Van Reybrouck, Netherlands

Daniel Roeder, Germany

Meg Rosoff, USA/ UK

Jaroslav Rudis, Czech Republic

Alberto Ruy-Sanchez, Mexico

Philippe Sands, UK

Sapphire, USA

Agus R. Sarjono, Indonesia

Roberto Saviano, Italy

Allen Say, Japan/ USA

Wolfram Schrettl, Germany

Hannes Schwenger, Germany

Gereon Sievernich, Germany

Shumona Sinha, France/I ndia

Eduardo Sguiglia, Argentina

Elif Shafak, Turkey

Samuel Shimon, Iraq/ UK

Tajima Shinji, Japan

Ostap Slyvynsky, Ukraine

Maria Sommer, Germany

Piotr Sommer, Poland

Wole Soyinka, Nigeria

Gerhard Stadelmaier, Germany

Heino Stöver, Germany

Rick Stroud, UK

Murat Suner, Turkey/ Germany

George Szirtes, UK

Janne Teller, Denmark

Stefan Thome, Germany

Imre Török, Hungary/ Germany

Fariba Vafi, Iran

Mario Vargas Llosa, Peru/ Spain

Regula Venske, Germany

Joachim Walther, Germany

Dima Wannous, Syria

Steve Wasserman, USA

Peter Wawerzinek, Germany

Stefan Weidner, Germany

Suse Weisse, Germany

Levin Westermann, Switzerland

Herbert Wiesner, Germany

Viktor Yerofeyev, Russia

Liao Yiwu, China/ Germany

Abraham Zere, Eritrea

Jenni Zylka, Germany

TEXTS

Our film “What Matters”, which presents a reading of the 30 articles of human rights with Vivienne Westwood, Nina Hoss, Can Dündar, Patti Smith, Simon Rattle, Ai Weiwei, Elfriede Jelinek, David Grossman, and others, is now available online with subtitles in 9 languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Hindi, Turkish, Spanish and German) – we especially recommend screening the film in schools, universities, and cultural institutions:
http://literaturfestival.com/festival-en/projekte-en/what-matters-en?set_language=en

For the reading, we recommend texts by Khashoggi, such as these from the Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/jamal-khashoggi-what-the-arab-world-needs-most-is-free-expression/2018/10/17/adfc8c44-d21d-11e8-8c22-fa2ef74bd6d6_story.html?utm_term=.f4a73f975eeb

Arabic:
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/blogs/2018/10/18/جمال-خاشقجي-أمس-ما-يحتاجه-العالم-العربي-هو-حرية-التعبير

See also Khassogis speech in Aril, this year:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/22/opinion/khashoggi-mbs-arab-democracy.html

PARTICIPANTS

Austria

Organisers: Freies Radio Innsbruck FREIRAD

Venue: Radiosendung

Time: 4pm

Participants: Roberta Hofer, Meral Öztürk

Website: http://www.freirad.at/?p=17304

Burkina Faso

Organisers: Cine Droit Libre ( Festival de films sur les droits humans) /Goethe-Institut Burkina Faso

Venue: 09 BP 1308, Ouagadougou 09, Burkina Faso

Participants: Screening of “What matters”

Website: https://www.facebook.com/wordsandmusicshow

Organisers: PEN Canada, the University of St. Michael’s College and the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters

Venue: Charbonnel Lounge, 81 St. Mary Street, Toronto, ON

Time: 12pm

Participants: Historian, biographer, journalist and editor Sam Tanenhaus and award-winning CBC journalist Susan Ormiston will discuss the consequences of the murder and consider how they relate to the threats and violence faced by thousands of working journalists in other parts of the world. Moderated by Brendan de Caires, Executive Director of PEN Canada

Website: https://pencanada.ca/

Organisers: Catherine Mitchell

Venue: private reading

India

Organisers: Kritya International Poetry Festival

Venue:

Time:

Participants:

Website: http://www.krityapoetryfestival.com/

France

Organisers: Goethe Institut Frankreich

Venue: Eingangshalle, 17 avenue d’Iéna, 75116 Paris

Participants: Screening “WHAT MATTERS”

Website: https://www.goethe.de/ins/fr/de/sta/par.html

Organisers: Université de Poitiers, Faculté de lettres et langues

Venue: 86000 Poitiers, France

Participants: Screening “WHAT MATTERS”

Website: “>

Organisers: Deutsch-Französische-Gesellschaft Avignon

Venue: 6, rue Charles-Marius Vionnet, 84000 Avignon

Participants: Screening “WHAT MATTERS”

Website: http://afaavignon.fr/

Organisers: Maison de Heidelberg, Deutsches Kulturzentrum

Venue: 4 rue des Trésoriers de la Bourse, F-34000 Montpellier

Participants: Screening “WHAT MATTERS”

Website: www.maison-de-heidelberg.org

Germany

Organisers: Bettina Schinko

Venue: sprechbar in berlin, Grolmanstraße 21, 10623 Berlin

Time: 7pm

Participants: Bettina Schinko

Website: https://sprechbar-berlin.de/ , https://www.facebook.com/sprechbarinberlin/

Organisers: Schauspiel Hannover

Venue: Cumberlandsche Galerie,Prinzenstraße 9, 30159 Hannover

Time: 7pm

Participants: Prof. Dr. Christine Morgenroth (Leibniz-Universität Hannover), Stefan Gohlisch (Neue Presse Hannover), Christina Végh (Direktorin der kestnergesellschaft) und Rania Mleihi (Dramaturgin am Schauspiel Hannover).

Website: https://www.schauspielhannover.de/index.php?m=615&f=03_werkdetail&ID_Vorstellungsart=0&ID_Stueck=1222&ID_Vorstellung=10980

Organisers: UNESCO-Lehrstuhl für Internationale Beziehungen und das Zentrum für Internationale Studien, Technische Universität Dresden

Venue: Raum GER/009 im von-Gerber-Bau, Juristische Fakultät, Bergstraße 53, 01069 Dresden

Time: 2.50 pm

Website: https://tu-dresden.de/gsw/jura/ifve/unesco-portal

Organisers: Stadtbibliothek Magdeburg

Venue: Breiter Weg 109, 39103 Magdeburg

Time: 4pm

Participants: Leser und Kulturpartner der Bibliothek wie die Auslandsgesellschaft Sachsen-Anhalt, die Evangelische Erwachsenenbildung Sachsen-Anhalt, das Familienhaus Magdeburg, die Freiwilligenagentur Magdeburg, „kulturmd“ und der Verein „Miteinander“

Website: https://www.magdeburg-stadtbibliothek.de/

Organisers: Abgeordnetenhaus von Berlin

Venue: Foyer, Niederkirchnerstraße 5, 10117 Berlin

Time: täglich vom 10. bis 14. Dezember 2018 im Foyer

Website: https://www.parlament-berlin.de/de/Meldungen/Aktuelle-Meldungen-fuer-Startseite_1/Film-What-Matters-im-Berliner-Abgeordnetenhaus-vom-10.-bis-14.-Dezember-2018

Portugal

Organisers: Portugiese Pen Centre,together with the Research Centre for Portuguese Literatures (CLEPUL)

Venue: hall of the Faculty of Letters Library, Átrio da Biblioteca da Faculdade de Letras, Lisbon

Time: 5 pm

Participants: tba

Website:

USA