(NEW YORK | LONDON) – Ahead of the United Nations Universal Period Review (UPR) pre-session for the United States, PEN America and PEN International are highlighting violations of the rights to education, free expression, and non-discrimination stemming from recent state and federal efforts to censor colleges and universities.
“We need to recognize what is at stake, for our students and our democracy, when higher education comes under attack in the United States,” said Amy Reid, PEN America’s Freedom to Learn interim program director. “Our national commitment to academic freedom, to the rights of all students to an education free from government censorship, is what has allowed higher education to flourish in this country. As a result, we have witnessed decades of scientific and medical breakthroughs, a thriving arts sector, and real benefits to communities large and small. We can’t afford to compromise our students’ human rights.”
“What we’re seeing in the United States is part of a growing global trend of censorship that threatens freedom of expression,” said Romana Cacchioli, Executive Director of PEN International. “When governments restrict what can be taught or read, they directly undermine the rights of students, educators, and the public to access information. Such censorship stifles creativity, silences diverse voices, and erodes the right to seek, receive, and share knowledge. The United States must be held accountable, and we urge UN member states to actively press for the protection of free expression, cultural rights, and academic freedom – all of which are essential for a free society.”
On April 7, PEN America and PEN International submitted a joint report to the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United States, scheduled for November 2025. The report documents violations of the rights to free expression, education, and non-discrimination, highlighting the profound impact of educational gag orders, DEI bans, curricular restrictions, and attacks on tenure, faculty rights, and institutional autonomy. These measures disproportionately affect students from marginalized communities, including students of color, women, LGBTQ+ students, students with disabilities, and those from low-income backgrounds.
State-level efforts to censor higher education have risen dramatically since 2021, with 2025 setting disturbing new records for the number of state bills and policies introduced and enacted across the country. In the context of federal actions targeting higher education, these legislative initiatives undermine the principles of academic freedom and infringe on the rights to education, free expression, and non-discrimination, recognized by the UN as universal human rights.
The joint submission draws attention to:
- State-level legislation and policies introduced since 2021 that explicitly censor topics and materials addressed in college and university classrooms.
- State-level legislation and policies that undermine free expression on campuses by banning certain programming, weakening tenure protections for faculty, or otherwise breaching the principle of institutional autonomy that supports academic freedom for faculty and students.
- Recent federal orders and actions that expand the scope of these attacks, threatening the rights of specific students and programs designed to ensure equal access to higher education.
PEN America and PEN International call on the UN member states to recognize this wave of censorship in U.S. higher education as a grave threat to democracy and human rights. They urge the U.S. government to repeal executive orders that contribute to the nationwide censorship of public education, particularly those targeting women, people with disabilities, and ethnic, sexual, and gender minorities.
The Universal Periodic Review is a mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council that encourages transparency and accountability in the human rights records of Member States, including the United States. The United States has threatened to boycott these proceedings, making it one of the few countries to do so since the mechanism was established in 2006.
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
About PEN InternationalPEN International is the foremost and largest association of writers, standing at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect freedom of expression around the world. Founded in London in 1921, PEN International – PEN’s Secretariat – connects an international community of writers. Operating across five continents through more than 130 Centres in over 100 countries, PEN International is a forum where writers meet freely to discuss their work, and a powerful voice speaking out for writers silenced in their own countries. Learn more at pen-international.org.
Contact: Malka Margolies, [email protected], 718-530-3582