Sihem Bensedrine, 2009 laureate of the IPA Prix Voltaire, was arrested in August 2024 and only released in February following a hunger strike. She is still not allowed to leave Tunisia. Bensedrine’s daughter, Essia Mestiri will speak ahead of the Prix Voltaire shortlist announcement.
The shortlist announcement will be followed by a discussion between Kristenn Einarsson, the Chair of the IPA’s Freedom to Publish Committee and two French publishers: Laurence Faron of Talents Hauts, co-President of the French Publishers Association’s Youth Committee, and Yann Nicol of Actes Sud.
The session will also feature Antoine Gallimard and Kamel Daoud calling for the release of imprisoned Franco-Algerian author Boualem Sansal.
The sessions will be conducted in French with interpretation as appropriate. More information on the Festival du Livre de Paris website here:
https://www.festivaldulivredeparis.fr/fr/programmation/view/942/la-lecture-une-forme-de-resistance-annonce-de-la-pre-selection-des-prix-voltaire-2025
The 2024 IPA Prix Voltaire was awarded to Palestinian publisher Samir Mansour with a Special Award given to murdered Ukrainian author, Victoria Amelina. Read more about the Prix Voltaire here.
https://internationalpublishers.org/2024-ipa-prix-voltaire-awarded-to-samir-mansour-with-special-award-for-victoria-amelina/