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We need to talk about the Hugos, actually. The Hugo Award is the highest accolade in our field–it is our Oscar, our Grammy, the biggest event. Even being nominated is an enormous honour, the sort of moment you carry for the rest of your life. This year, though, that feeling is more complicated. Worldcon 2023–where the Hugos are to be awarded–is being held in Chengdu, China, and whilst we absolutely celebrate this geographical broadening of the convention and believe the “world” part of Worldcon has been neglected for far too long, it is impossible to avoid that an event of this size and international stature could not happen without the knowledge and approval of the totalitarian regime in control of China–a regime currently engaged in a genocidal campaign of religious prejudice against the Uyghur people.

1.5 million Uyghurs and other Turkic populations have been systematically detained in concentration camps, where reports document that innocent people are subject to torture, forced labour on a vast scale, and forced sterilisation. The Chinese state has criminalised Muslim practices; destroyed mosques, shrines and graveyards; banned the Uyghur language; separated families from over 800,000 children; and has established an unprecedented surveillance state to monitor and oppress the Uyghur people.

We understand that existing under a totalitarian regime is a complicated moral calculus, and the cost of speaking out as a citizen can be the highest price a person can pay; and, again, we celebrate the inclusion of Chinese fandom in the global community, and were thrilled to see so many Chinese nominees on the Hugo shortlist, a true expression of the power of this oft-overlooked fandom. But we are not citizens of China, and can speak out against these atrocities, and so we must.

Furthermore, one of the guests of honour this year is Sergei Lukyanenko, author of the Night Watch series. Russia is, again, a state where citizens must negotiate a complex moral path between truth and personal safety; however, Lukyanenko has loudly and unambiguously supported the invasion of Ukraine throughout the war, and for years before, and made numerous incendiary and prejudiced statements against the Ukrainian people, celebrating and promoting the unlawful murder of citizens and children. His views are utterly reprehensible, and have been widely discussed for well over a year, during which time the community at large has implored the committee of Chengdu 2023 to rescind his guest of honour status, even passing a resolution of condemnation at Worldcon 2022. Nonetheless, he remains.

Against this background, John Wiswell made a statement regarding D.I.Y’s Hugo nomination, which you can read in full at johnwiswell.substack.com but which says, in part:

“It is repulsive that anyone would platform and celebrate Lukyanenko while he gloats about war crimes. It is the same repulsion I feel when reading reports of the genocide against the Uyghurs, and that I feel when so-called Guests of Honor vocally support that genocide.

“So, as a Hugo finalist, I will not be participating in this year’s Worldcon. I will not travel to Chengdu in person. I will not do any virtual programming remotely, either.

“The Worldcon community should know how these decisions have hurt us, and that this is how a Hugo finalist feels. I’m grateful that my work is meaningful to you. I hope the community can do better. It deserves better.

“If y’all want to celebrate my nomination, I recommend donating to Ukrainian refugee charities. A lot of people need help in this world right now.”

We absolutely support John in this statement, and all the other authors who have put out similar statements or even withdrawn works from consideration after being notified they were to be nominated–former Escape Pod editor S. B. Divya is one such, and has an excellent statement on their website, sbdivya.com.

We likewise have complicated feelings about our nomination: we remain  hugely honoured and grateful to be acknowledged, because the Hugos are underpinned by the voting of the Worldcon membership, which is to say, fans and participants in the field. But this year we cannot disentangle that honour from our horror at events in both China and Ukraine, and we utterly condemn the cruelties being practised in the name of nationalism.

We urge you to remain aware of the evils of this world, to pressure and protest to your local democratic representatives in whatever ways are possible for you, to shout loudly and not allow these awful acts to pass unseen and accepted as the price of international diplomacy. Millions are suffering and dying, and our silence is complicity; but we also stand in support of the Chinese fans who share our horror but are unable to speak out due to the state apparatus arranged against them.