Alaa Abd El Fattah | Status: Imprisoned | Egypt
Alaa Abd El Fattah is an Egyptian activist, software developer, and blogger. After being sentenced to a month of jail in absentia, he received a five years sentence in… More
PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award
Established in 2016, this award is designed to honor a writer imprisoned for his or her work. More
Egypt’s Harassment of writers chills freedom of speech and movement
NEW YORK—Simultaneous developments in the cases of writers Ahmed Naji and Alaa Aswany this weekend are indicative of Egypt's ongoing assault on human rights and free expression, PEN America… More
Librotraficante “Book Traffickers” Ensure Equal Access to Diverse Books in the Face of Discriminatory Arizona Law
Librotraficante is doing necessary work to ensure that the many voices, groups, and histories included in the American experience are fully represented and heard. More
IRAN: Serious Concern for Health of Imprisoned Filmmaker Keywan Karimi
PEN is seriously concerned for the health of imprisoned filmmaker Keywan Karimi. The prominent Kurdish filmmaker, who has been in prison since 23 November 2016, is in need of… More
Free Expression Daily Digest: Thurs. Aug. 25
Aslı Erdoğan in solitary confinement, Iraqi media technician and journalist killed, and more. More
Free Expression Daily Digest: Wed., Aug. 24
Iran rounds up 450 social media users, new heavily-censored Tibetan search engine, and more. More
Art is a Form of Encryption: Laura Poitras in Conversation with Lynn Hershman Leeson
"There are certain people who don’t encrypt their e-mail, so we just create a coding system. Perhaps we are talking about having lunch at a certain restaurant, when in… More
May Featured Case: Ahmed Naji
This month, PEN features the case of 2016 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award winner Ahmed Naji, whose case is emblematic of the widening and escalating crackdown on free expression… More
President Sisi: Release Ahmed Naji
More than 120 writers and artists join PEN America to protest the unjust imprisonment of our colleague, Egyptian novelist and journalist Ahmed Naji, and request his immediate release. More
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