Alvaro Colom, President of Guatemala, recently told supporters: "plant truth and justice and you will reap reconciliation, as Bishop Gerardi used to say".

Award-winning novelist Francisco Goldman is nominated for the T R Fyvel Book Award which honours freedom of expression through literature as part of the Index on Censorship’s Freedom of Expression Awards 2008. His book The Art of Political Murder: Who Killed Bishop Gerardi? is an account of the battle to bring a bishop's murderers to justice.

Also nominated for the Bindmans Law and Campaigning is Lydia cacho, an activist and veteran investigative journalist, committed to exposing the plight of abused and exploited woman and children in Mexico. The award is given to lawyers or campaigners who have fought repression, or have struggled to change political climates and perceptions.

The eighth annual Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards will be presented on Monday 21 April, 2008 at Christchurch Spitalfields, London. The ceremony will be hosted by Anna Ford, with keynote speech by Alan Johnston

More information about the nominees:

- Francisco Goldman: While the Gerardi murder was big news in the United States, it was not so for the rest of the world. A human rights activist, the bishop had dared to challenge a military-dominated regime that was the most bloodthirsty in Latin America. He was bludgeoned to death as a direct result of a report he had published. Francisco Goldman is an award-winning American-Guatemalan writer whose compelling investigation, The Art of Political Murder: Who Killed Bishop Gerardi? exposes the corruption that permeated the Guatemalan authorities through to the President during the late 1990s.

- Lydia Cacho: Despite the personal danger it entailed, Lydia Cacho has received widespread recognition and praise for her commitment to exposing the exploitation and abuse of women and children in Mexico.

I just wanted to flag up the following event where Guatemalan human rights defender, Norma Maldonado, will be speaking 10 April 2008, from 7-9pm. Norma has worked for many years promoting women's rights, respect for the environment and trade justice through the Mesa Global de Guatemala amongst many other areas of work. You can see a short presentation by Norma at an event at Harvard University in 2000 (starts 37mins in).

The Guatemalan author Ronald Flores will talk about torture and reconciliation during his country’s civil war when he launches his book, Final Silence, at HOUSMANS BOOKSHOP in London. Wednesday 16 April, 7pm Housmans Bookshop, 5 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DX (a minute’s walk from King’s Cross Station) Tel: 020 7837 4473.

Final Silence, translated from the Spanish-language original Último silencio, is a compelling drama examining the emotional wounds that blighted a generation. It won the prestigious Mario Monteforte Toledo literary prize open to writers in Central America, and is being launched by Aflame Books to coincide with the London Book Fair.

You can find out more about Ronald Flores on his fascinating blog which regularly covers the latest developments in Guatemalan literature.

For further details, contact Gavin O’Toole: 020 8669 3891 Aflame Books.

The book has been reviewed by the Latin American Review of Books by Eugene Carey.