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Anh-Thu Vo

Manager, Research & Advocacy, PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Center

Anh-Thu Vo is the former manager of research and advocacy for the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Center at PEN America. Previously, Anh-Thu worked as a junior officer of communications and coordination at the International Rescue Committee, Inc. in Geneva, Switzerland. She also has experience working at law firms as a paralegal and legal clerk in Washington D.C. and Virginia, working in criminal, civil, and renewable energy regulatory law. She graduated from the University of Virginia in 2019 with a double major in Global Security and Justice and African and African American Studies. While an undergrad, she volunteered for a crisis hotline and volunteered to teach English to UN peacekeepers in Vietnam. In 2021, she received her Master’s in Transitional Justice, Human Rights, and Rule of Law from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, where she focused her research on freedom of expression, hate speech, and social media.

Articles by Anh-Thu Vo

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Writers at RiskGlobal Free Expression
Friday April 11

Release of Myanmar Filmmaker An Essential Step in the Battle for Free Expression

Shin Daewe is one of 11 imprisoned writers with ties to outlets defunded by the current administration. Shin Daewe’s documentaries took her to some of Myanmar’s most remarkable and most devastated areas. In her pursuit for the truth, she could be seen walking through farmland destroyed by mining, and standing on top of the only Read more…

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A person with short dark hair and glasses is standing indoors, wearing a dark jacket over a checkered shirt. The background includes a door with glass panels.
AdvocacyGlobal Free ExpressionWriters at Risk
Tuesday March 11

Raising Our Voices for Le Huu Minh Tuan: PEN America’s Delegation to Washington, D.C.

Representing Tuan’s dedication to free expression, we led a delegation alongside Vietnamese activists to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. just weeks after the inauguration.

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A woman with shoulder-length hair sits at a wooden table indoors, smiling at the camera, with an acoustic guitar resting in front of her. The background is warmly lit with furniture and a staircase visible.
Global Free ExpressionAdvocacy
Tuesday April 9

Pham Doan Trang: A Courageous Voice for Change

Celebrated for her prolific writing and fearless activism for democracy and human rights in Vietnam, 2024 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write honoree Pham Doan Trang is known as an emblem of resilience and unwavering determination amidst adversity. Trang has had a significant impact through her roles as an author, online commentator, and journalist, advocating for reforms

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More Articles by Anh-Thu Vo

Rows of international flags line a walkway leading to the United Nations building, which stands at the center with the UN emblem above its entrance and trees on either side under a partly cloudy sky.
AdvocacyGlobal Free Expression
Wednesday September 13

PEN America Criticizes U.S. Human Rights Record at the U.N. Human Rights Committee