Statement in support of Andrej Nikolaidis, EUPL laureate 2011

Approved by the FEP General Assembly on 13 June in Tallinn

Being able to write without fear for one’s life or of reprisals should be a certainty for all authors, in Europe and around the world. Publishers defend the right to freedom of expression and therefore to write and to publish as an essential value in a democratic society.

The Federation of European Publishers, the voice of publishers to the European institutions, is also the co-organiser of the European Union Prize for Literature, EUPL. In the forty countries covered by the Creative Europe programme, the authors featured carry voices that should bring us together and enable us to understand a Europe that in constant evolution yet built upon common values. These authors are supported by the Prize, which welcomes translations of their works, enabling them to make their words heard by new readers.

A threat to a single author concerns us all. It has been brought to our attention that Montenegrin author and EUPL laureate in 2011, Andrej Nikolaidis, received a death threat after having had his effigy burned at a carnival. In the face of this unacceptable intimidation of a writer, we collectively want to show our solidarity. There is no justification for putting an author’s life at risk. Anyone is free to disagree with the views expressed in a book or elsewhere. But this exceeds mere disagreement. We know that threats such as these have, unfortunately, in some cases, been followed by actions, sometimes even fatal. This is why we condemn these actions and call for any threats to Andrej Nikolaidis’ life to be investigated.

Montenegro, together with 13 other countries, will be taking part in the next EUPL in 2026. It is crucial that the authors whose books will be competing for the national selection are able to write in safety.

FEP calls on the Montenegrin authorities for the protection of all authors and publishers from threats unworthy of democratic society.

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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