Fund Cites Persecuted Writers

22 Writers from 16 Countries receive funds from Estates of Lillian Hellman and Dashiel Hammett

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.