News & Analysis
The latest news and analysis from PEN America’s research and advocacy.
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Press Releases • Commentary
“Heckler’s Veto” Has No Place in Interrupting Speakers on College Campuses
(NEW YORK) -- Protestors at the University of New Mexico last week interrupted a speech by conservative commentator Tomi Lahren, who appeared at the invitation of conservative student group… More
Words on Fire: Authors Sound Alarm to Defend Free Speech
PEN America Symposium Celebrates 100 Years of Defending Free Expression and the Power of the Written Word By Suzanne Trimel (NEW YORK) -- As leading literary luminaries gathered to celebrate PEN… More
Concern Raised Over Censorship Threat Against Netflix, Disney from Saudi Arabia, Gulf Neighbors
“These calls are unfortunately no surprise coming from regimes all too accustomed to censoring the stories and ideas their own citizens can access. But their attempt to inflict that… More
Against the Ruins of 9/11 21 Years Ago, Salman Rushdie Appealed to New Yorkers: “Don’t Let Fear Rule Your Life”
His Words Opened an Enduring Path to Cross-Cultural Dialogue By Suzanne Trimel (NEW YORK)—What has changed as a result of the 9/11 attacks? This has been an unceasing point for debate… More
PEN America Responds to Israeli Defense Force Probe in Killing of Al Jazeera Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh: “Too Little, Too Late”
Liesl Gerntholtz, director of the PEN/Barbey Freedom To Write Center at PEN America, stated: “The IDF’s investigation into the tragic shooting of Shireen Abu Akleh comes far too late… More
PEN America Condemns Sentencing of Myanmar Writer-Activist Wai Moe Naing and Calls for His Release
“The sentencing of Wai Moe Naing following months of arbitrary detention and an unfair trial blatantly flouts international judicial standards and reveals the Myanmar junta’s deliberate effort to silence… More
For First Time, Oklahoma Education Officials Punish Two School Districts for Violating Gag Order on Teaching Race and Gender
“This case demonstrates the dangerous chilling effect gag orders can have,” said Jeremy C. Young, senior manager for free expression and education at PEN America and author of the… More
His Fellow Writers—Some Among His Closest Friends—Gather to Read Salman Rushdie’s Words and Raise His Spirits at a New York Citadel of Books
[caption id="attachment_224117" align="alignnone" width="2560"] MANHATTAN, NY, AUGUST 19, 2022 PEN America holds a rally in support of writer Salman Rushdie at the New York Public Library in Manhattan, NY.… More
Executions of Pro-Demcracy Activists in Myanmar Raise Fears of Escalation of Military Campaign of Terror Against Civilians
The U.S. Government Must Apply Pressure to Stop the Junta from Further Abuses By Liesl Gerntholtz and Nadine Farid Johnson The shattering news that four democracy activists were secretly executed at… More
Two Years After the Rigged Belarus Election, the United States Can Do More to Call Out Aleksandr Lukashenka’s Abuses
By Polina Sadovskaya The fraudulent election of Aleksandr Lukashenka as president of Belarus on August 9, 2020 surprised no one. Everyone expected him to ‘win,’ but very few wanted him… More