PEN Hong Kong says banning writers is ‘deplorable’

PEN Hong Kong, a bilingual society of journalists, writers and academics has expressed its dismay after three authors were not able to join the Macau Literary Festival. The attendance of the authors was canceled as their entry into the city could not be guaranteed due to the political content of their works.

On Monday, organizers of the annual festival issued a statement noting that authors James Church, Jung Chang and Suki Kim would be unable to attend this year’s festival. Program director Hélder Beja told local press that authorities had “officially” warned them that they could not guarantee their entry in Macau.

Yesterday, Beja told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that they were “informed informally, unofficially,” that it was not considered timely that these guests would come to Macau.

PEN Hong Kong’s statement yesterday strongly criticized the cancellation. “We deem this to be a very worrying development, and one that infringes directly on the right to freedom of expression and on literary expression, which should be guaranteed in Macau as everywhere else,” the PEN Hong Kong statement read.

“To ban authors solely on the basis of the political acceptability of their writings, according to fuzzy standards that are not even publicly disclosed, is a very concerning development that cannot be defended.”

Although the union acknowledged that immigration authorities have all the discretion to decide who to allow in, it called on the MSAR to not use access to their city as a “covert tool of political control” in determining what kind of books are deemed acceptable.

London-based Chang’s works, including a biography of Mao Zedong, have been banned in the mainland, while the other two have both written in depth about North Korea, and consider China its main ally and diplomatic defender.

“In so doing, they are not only blocking internationally acclaimed authors from visiting Macau, and harming Macau’s reputation as a city known for its cultural and creative industries, but Macau authorities are also limiting the cultural exchanges their citizenry is allowed to enjoy,” PEN Hong Kong stated.

“This is a censoring and authoritative move that we find deplorable.”

Following yesterday’s AFP report, the story has already been picked by several international media outlets, such as the Daily Mail and France 24.