Fund Cites Persecuted Writers

At the request of the estates of the American writers Lillian Hellman and Dashiell Hammett, the Fund for
Free Expression administers a special fund for writers of fiction or non-fiction, anywhere in the world, who are in
financial need as a result of political persecution. The grants are made annually by a five-member selection
committee consisting of members of the Fund for Free Expression, one of the six committees of Human Rights
Watch. The second round of grants has recently been awarded -- a total of $195,000 to 22 writers in 16 countries.