Statement of thanks from ZP Dala
"I felt myself slipping into a deeper depression while there. I felt cut off from the world and that my faculties were compromised by excessive medication." More
PEN Outraged by Confinement of South African Writer Who Expressed Admiration for Rushdie
PEN American Center expressed outrage at the harassment and confinement in a mental institution of South African psychologist and novelist Zainub Priya Dala (ZP Dala) exacted in reprisal for… More
Malaysia: Sedition Charges Run Amok
Political cartoonist Zunar was charged with a record nine counts of sedition last week—one for each tweet he posted. More
Bahrain: Human rights defender Nabeel Rajab arrested again over tweets
On April 2 2015, Nabeel Rajab, President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) was arrested at his home in Beni Jamra, Manama, Bahrain. More
Something to Hide – Writers and Artists Against the Surveillance State
Modeled on a series of events first organized by the ACLU and PEN American Center, the “Something to Hide” program counters the oft-heard slogan that “if you have nothing… More
PEN Welcomes UN Action on Right to Privacy
The UN Human Rights Council’s decision to establish a new Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy is a welcome move towards greater protection of human rights in an… More
On World Poetry Day, PEN Highlights Cases of Persecuted Poets Worldwide
On 21 March 2015, while people across the globe celebrate World Poetry Day, PEN will be directing public attention to the imprisonment, murder, and general harassment of poets, writers,… More
PEN Americas Summit Declaration
Delegates from PEN Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, the U.S. and Wales developed proposals for action which represent the beginnings of a new strategy… More
Myanmar: Three Convicted for Facebook Image of Buddha in Headphones
Two managers and the owner of a Yangon pub were sentenced to two years in prison under Myanmar’s religion act, which criminalizes insults to religion. More
NYU Professor Critical of Labor Practices Denied Entry to UAE
This forms part of a pattern in recent years of expulsions, visa denials, and cancellations of teaching contracts for international faculty, who lose the ability to work in the… More