Stockholm, the 20:th of March 1998

Dear Sirs,

With the highest regard of your country and your government, we write to you in a most urgent case. The Swedish Joint Committe for Artistic and Literary Professionals KLYS is an organisation for cooperation between organisations for writers, journalists, playwrighters, artists actors and others with similar professions, representing more than 30 000 persons.

It has come to our knowledge that the famous and respected playwright Ms Ratna Sarumpaet was arrested during a pro-democracy meeting in north Jakarta on the 10:th of March. She is now being charged under law number 5/PNPS/1963 and artice 154 of the criminal code.

The freedom of speech is a human right belonging to every citizen. It is also one of the fundamental tools for artistic and literary professionals. We are therefore most concerned that one of our fellow professionals has been arrested when exercising this right.

Furthermore, we have invited Ratna Sarumpaet to the World Conference on Culture which is being held in Stockholm on the 30:th of March until the 1:st of April. Our conference is a parallell conference to the UNESCO Intergovernmental Conference on Cultural Policies for Development, in which most cultural ministers of the world will take part. Our conference is sponsored by UNESCO, the Swedish Government, and the Nordic Council of Ministers. We are also supported by "Stockholm Europas Kulturhuvudstad ´98", a project within the auspices of the European Union. The Conference will be inaugurated by Mr Federico Mayor, General Director of UNESCO.

We would find it highly disturbing and embarrasing to have to tell our supporters that Ms Sarumpaet has not been able to attend the conference due to an arrest that we consider to be in sharp contrast to human rights principles, to the ideas expressed in the preparatory documents of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Conference on Culture, as well as to our conference.

We therefore urge you to immediately release Ratna Sarumpaet and let her join our conference.

Please note that this letter does not express an opinion as regards your governments politics as such, nor to the views held by Ms Sarumpaet.

Yours Sincerely,