Raid on Theater Director Kirill Serebrennikov Amplifies Russian Campaign To Control Artistic Expression
Russian authorities’ raid on renowned theater and film director Kirill Serebrennikov is demonstrative of an intensifying trend of persecutions of artistic figures the government cannot control. More
Court Orders Retrial for Ahmed Naji
The court's decision to order a retrial for the novelist prolongs a legal battle over free expression in Egypt that has already gone on far too long. More
IRAN: Writer and journalist released after almost 10 years in prison
PEN welcomes news of the release of prominent Iranian journalist and writer Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand, who was released on May 12, 2017. Kabudvand was serving a 10-year prison sentence on… More
BANGLADESH: Government directive for officials to monitor journalists abroad restricts free expression
NEW YORK—The government of Bangladesh’s May 17 directive for its international diplomatic missions to monitor the activities of Bangladeshi journalists traveling abroad encourages self-censorship and is an underhanded maneuver… More
TURKEY: Cumhuriyet Daily Web Editor Arrested
PEN is deeply concerned about the arrest of Cumhuriyet daily web editor Oğuz Güven, bringing the number of Cumhuriyet staff currently jailed pending trial to 13. Güven was arrested… More
FCC Efforts to Roll Back Net Neutrality Rules Will Have Enormous Impact on Art and Innovation
The Federal Communications Commission's decision today to begin dissolving protections for net neutrality will have an outsize impact on artists, writers, and other innovators in the United States. More
YEMEN: Death sentence against prominent writer
PEN is deeply concerned about the death sentence issued by a Houthi court in Sana’a against Yahya al-Jubaihi, a prominent Yemeni writer and journalist, after a grossly unfair trial.… More
TURKEY: Reopening of Case Against Pinar Selek Is An Unconscionable Disservice to Judicial Process
NEW YORK—The reopening of the 19-year-old case against Turkish sociologist and feminist Pinar Selek after a remarkable four acquittals is an unconscionable disservice to the judicial process, PEN America… More
TURKEY: Raid of Belge Publishing House a Poorly-Veiled Attack on Dissident Publisher
NEW YORK—The police raid of Belge Publishing House in Istanbul on May 7, allegedly based on a procedural complaint, was a poorly-veiled continuation of the Turkish government’s politically-motivated attacks… More
UNITED STATES: Arrest of Reporter Dan Heyman in West Virginia an Egregious Overreaction
NEW YORK—The May 9 arrest of Dan Heyman, a Public News Service reporter, at the West Virginia State Capitol after he repeatedly tried to ask Health and Human Services… More