The Administration promised free expression. The results were anything but more freedom.
As usual, China leads the pack but there is a new high of 375 total imprisoned worldwide.
Submissions for the 2026 PEN America Literary Awards are open through August 20.
We analyzed the books banned in the last school year to see which topics were most targeted.
The impact of these cuts would disproportionately harm rural states and local communities that rely on public media as a trusted source of information.
Join Donate Now
Filters
Search results for: freedom-to-write-index
Read the summary >> This report reflects PEN America’s 2021 Index findings. For our complete, up-to-date database, see the Writers at…
Read the Summary >> This report reflects PEN America’s 2020 Index findings. For our complete, up-to-date database, see the Writers at…
Introduction Amid global retrenchment on human rights and fundamental freedoms—deepening authoritarianism in Russia, China, and much of the Middle East;…
Introduction In May of 2022, at the PEN America emergency writers congress, Salman Rushdie spoke about global threats to human…
The number of writers jailed reached a new high, with at least 375 behind bars in 40 countries during 2024,…
Introduction Authoritarian regimes instinctively understand the significant role that writers—and, by extension, free expression—play in promoting critical inquiry, fostering connections…
During 2021, Myanmar accounted for the single-largest increase of writers and public intellectuals newly jailed for exercising free expression, due…
All PEN America research on book bans.
Iran remained the leading jailer of female writers globally, many for their advocacy against mandatory hijab
