45 writers receive Hellman/Hammett grants

NEW YORK, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Writers from 22 countries received Hellman/Hammett grants given to targets of political harassment and persecution, New York-based Human Rights Watch said.

The Hellman/Hammett grants, administered by Human Rights Watch, are awarded to writers around the world who have been subjected to political retaliation, the organization said Tuesday. The program began in 1989 when U.S. playwright Lillian Hellman willed that her estate be used to help writers experiencing financial troubles because of their views.

"The Hellman/Hammett grants aim to help writers confront and survive persecution," said Marcia Allina, who coordinates the program.

Governments have used official decrees, criminal libel and sedition laws against this year's group of Hellman/Hammett awardees, Human Rights Watch said. Recipients include editors, novelists, playwrights and poets.

More than half of this year's 45 recipients are from three countries -- China with nine, Vietnam with eight and Iran with seven.

Hellman's estate request was prompted by her experiences during the 1950s, when she and long-time companion, writer Dashiell Hammett, were questioned by U.S. congressional committees about their political beliefs and affiliations.