Philip Roth, Patti Smith and Woody Allen join protest at jailing of Egyptian writer

Authors among 120 prominent writers and artists sign PEN America letter to President Sisi demanding release

More than 120 prominent international writers and artists have called on Egypt’s president to release author and journalist Ahmed Naji, who is in prison for writing a sexually explicit novel.

Authors Philip Roth, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Dave Eggers, singer-songwriter Patti Smith, film-maker Woody Allen and composer Stephen Sondheim are among the signatories of a letter sent by free speech organisation PEN America in a bid to raise the pressure on President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi over his crackdown on Egyptian cultural figures and organisations.

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