New PEN America Report: Crackdown on Anti-Government Protests in Iran Swells the Number of Jailed Writers
“Iran’s creative community—long at the forefront of fighting for free expression and human rights—was singled out as part of a broader crackdown on dissent in 2022,” said Karin Deutsch… More
Fear That Unusual Directive on Tenure by Interim President of New College of Florida May Further Erode the College’s Integrity
Given the precarious state of free expression at New College, and given that the professors in question have apparently fulfilled the requirements for tenure and had their cases approved… More
PEN America Demands the Immediate Release of Kurdish Rapper Saman Yasin After Request for Amnesty Was Denied
"Our hearts go out to Yasin and his family and friends, and we urge the Iranian authorities to grant him amnesty and release him from prison at once,” said… More
New Report: 28% Rise in School Book Bans Over First Half of 2022-23 School Year
“The heavy-handed tactics of state legislators are mandating book bans, plain and simple,” said Suzanne Nossel, Chief Executive Officer of PEN America. “Some politicians like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis… More
Expanded ‘Don’t Say Gay” Law in Florida is a “Flagrant Escalation” of Censorship in Schools, Says PEN America
Jonathan Friedman, director of Free Expression and Education Programs, released the following statement: "With this decision, the DeSantis administration and the Board of Education are continuing a frontal attack… More
PEN America Urges Tennessee Gov. Lee to Reject Legislation that Would Subject Publishers and Book Distributors to Criminal Penalties for ‘Obscene Materials’ Sent to Public Schools
Jonathan Friedman, director of PEN America’s Free Expression and Education program, issued the following comments on the bill: "Regardless of what the supporters of this law say, it serves little… More
As China Shows Again Its Willingness to Silence Dissenting Voices Beyond its Borders, PEN America Welcomes US Government Action to Challenge Repression on US Soil
"Today's action by the Department of Justice sends a vital message that the long arm of authoritarianism will not go unchallenged. It is essential that democratic governments forcefully defend… More
PEN America Condemns Online Abuse Campaign to Silence Dalit Author Thenmozhi Soundarara
“The attacks against author Thenmozhi Soundararajan and her allies are intended to drive voices from the public square and prevent them from being heard, which stifles free expression and… More
Protecting Free Speech on College Campuses is Essential to Preserving Academic Freedom, Says PEN America CEO
“Students often lack awareness of the First Amendment or the precepts of academic freedom, sometimes believing that the best answer to noxious ideas is to drown them out, or… More
PEN America/PEN International: Chinese Authorities Should Immediately Release Blogger Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison
“The seven-year prison sentence handed down to Ruan Xiaohuan for his politics and technology blog is an outrage. Blogging is not a crime and the heavy prison sentence on… More