FEP Statement - No writer or publisher should be in danger because of books

Approved by the FEP General Assembly on 13 June in Tallinn

From its meeting in Tallinn on 13 June 2025, FEP calls on the European Institutions and national governments in Europe to do their utmost to ensure the security of writers and publishers in Europe and around the globe. We specifically call for the immediate release of French Algerian writer, Boualem Sansal, who has been in jail in Algeria for over six months and whose only crime was writing books and chronicles. We also call for the release of Swedish publisher and writer from Hong Kong, Gui Minhai, who was unlawfully abducted from Thailand by the Chinese authorities in 2015 and has been in incognito detention ever since. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2020. His family still does not know where he is imprisoned, how he is, or whether he is even still alive. His only crime is to have published and sold books.

FEP also calls on the European institutions and national governments in Europe to ensure the safety of Belarusian and Ukrainian writers and publishers. Publishing or even owning books in the Belarusian language may lead to incarceration under inhumane conditions. FEP supports the appeal of PEN Belarus for the immediate release of the imprisoned writers and cultural figures in Belarus. It is considered that 8% of the political prisoners in Belarus are cultural actors. Ukrainian publishers, whether in Ukraine or displaced, are also essential to the defence of the Ukrainian language and culture, which are the target of deliberate erasure by the Russian invading forces. Ukrainian writers and publishers need tangible support to continue their work in defending our European values.

Freedom of Expression is a human right and a key value of the European Union and its citizens. The EU and its Member States must do all they can to make sure that it is respected and cherished, in the EU and in third countries, as it is the cornerstone of our democracies.

FEP is an independent, non-commercial umbrella association of book publishers’ associations in Europe. FEP represents 31 national associations of publishers of books, learned journals and educational materials, in all formats, in Europe. FEP is the voice of the great majority of publishers in Europe.

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