Anna Funder in her book Stasiland paints a picture of what life was like in East Germany before the Berlin Wall came down. The Stasi were the secret police. It was a very effective police state, with an extensive network of informers...

Mark Thomas has written a book titled 'As Used on the Famous Nelson Mandela: Underground Adventures in the Arms and Torture Trade' which I have started to read. I have seen Mark Thomas on television a few times so I already knew that I...

I have been trying to understand why the government of China tries so hard to suppress Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa. It is a practice involving slow gentle movements and meditation. Three of its key values are truth, compassion...

Amnesty invites you to take action for Ahraf Kalhori , a mother of four children, who faces death by stoning for adultery. A death sentence is in itself cruel and inhumane but then to choose a method that makes the dying slow and...

Writers suffer persecution in many countries of the world. English PEN is part of an international organisation campaigning against this persecution. Other creative people also can fall foul of the authorities, for instance comedians...