The widely reported seizing of Gui Minhai underlines why he and other publishers from around the world are shortlisted for the 2018 IPA Prix Voltaire. The prize supports defenders of the
freedom to publish – often people who put their own lives and freedom at risk by publishing other peoples’ words. The 2018 IPA Prix Voltaire recipient will be announced at the International Publishers Congress in New Delhi.
Kristenn Einarsson, Chair of the IPA’s Freedom to Publish Committee said: “The seizure of of Gui Minhai from a train is just another chapter in this sorry story of intimidation of Hong Kong publishers. This is not a spy novel. It is the abuse of a real person’s human rights because of books they have published.”
Press contact: James Taylor, taylor@internationalpublishers.org, +41 79 821 22 30
About IPA
The International Publishers Association (IPA) is the world’s largest federation of publishers associations. Established in 1896, the IPA is an industry body with a human rights mandate. The IPA’s mission is to promote and protect publishing and to raise awareness of publishing as a force for economic, cultural and social development. Working in cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and numerous international NGOs, the IPA champions the interests of book and journal publishing at national and supranational level. Internationally, the IPA actively opposes censorship and promotes copyright, freedom to publish (including through its Prix Voltaire), and literacy.