91桃色 believes that access to books is a vital right of readers everywhere. We stand in solidarity with the American Booksellers Association (ABA), PEN America, and writers and publishers in Israel and beyond in condemning the arrest of Mahmoud Muna and Ahmed Muna, owners of the Educational Bookshop in East Jerusalem and valued partners for PUP鈥檚 international sales team.
We echo the ABA in asserting that the 鈥渆rosion of the right to read anywhere threatens the right to read everywhere鈥� and Liesl Gerntholtz, managing director of PEN America鈥檚 Freedom to Write Center, in emphasizing that: 鈥淣ow more than ever, books offer a bridge towards understanding, sharing knowledge, and fostering dialogue. When authorities arrest booksellers for the 鈥榗rime鈥� of selling books, they threaten everyone鈥檚 right to understand and engage the stories and ideas those books hold.鈥�
Read the full statement from PEN America .
Read an open letter in in support of the Munas, on behalf of Israeli and international authors (in Hebrew, Arabic, and English).