PEN America Calls for Release of Imprisoned Iranian Writers and Artists as Anti-Government Protests Land Dissident Voices in Jail
“This case, emblematic of a broader crackdown on the IWA–which has consistently championed the essential right to free expression for all Iranians–is among the most egregious of the Islamic… More
Joint letter calling for release of Arash Ganji and other IWA members in Iran
PEN America and its allies call on the Supreme Leader of Iran to urgently release filmmaker and poet Baktash Abtin and all unjustly detained for their writing or expression. More
PEN America Condemns Arrests of Iranian Filmmakers as a “Brazen Violation” of Human Rights
“The Iranian government’s decision to detain Mohammad Rasoulof, Mostafa Aleahmad, and Jafar Panahi marks a brazen violation of their human right to free expression and speech,” said Julie Trébault,… More
Narges Mohammadi | Status: Imprisoned | Iran
Narges Mohammadi is an independent journalist and the former vice-president and spokesperson of the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC), which advocates for human rights reform and represents political… More
Fears for Safety of Exiled Iranian Singer and Poet as She Travels to Genoa for Poetry Festival
“At only 26 years old, Sahar is an incredibly talented and courageous artist and activist who has dared to use her voice to call for peace and advocate for… More
As Threats Escalate Against Narges Mohammadi, PEN America Calls For Her Immediate Release from Iranian Prison
“Mohammadi’s life was already at serious risk in Qarchak prison, due to the prison authorities’ dismissive, even malicious treatment of her fragile health,” said Karin Deutsch Karlekar, director of… More
UN Special Rapporteur on Iran Urged to Raise Imprisonment of Writers Arash Ganji and Reza Khandan Mahabadi, Being Held in Teheran on Wrongful Convictions
“Arash Ganji and Reza Khandan Mahabadi are in prison for their unequivocal commitment to writing and expression in Iran,” said Liesl Gerntholtz, director of the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write… More
PEN America Condemns Arrest of Iranian Writers and Translators, Another Attack on the Iranian Writers Associaton
"While the official justification for their arrest has not been announced, it is obvious that Iranian authorities have targeted Mohtadi and Asadollahi because of their vital contributions through writing,… More
Truth-Telling And Its Dire Consequences: PEN America Hosts Conversation with Writers Targeted by Authoritarians Around the Globe
The difficult plight of writers living under authoritarian rule has been well-documented over decades, with some enduring impossibly harsh treatment for their truth-telling and resistance to repression. More
PEN America 2021 Freedom to Write Index: Myanmar Joins China and Saudi Arabia as World’s Top Jailers of Writers
During 2021, Myanmar accounted for the single-largest increase of writers and public intellectuals newly jailed for exercising free expression, due to the military junta’s crackdown on influential voices. More
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PEN America On 
Professors at public universities have no right to #FreedomOfSpeech when they teach, say lawyers for the State of Florida.
Many academics describe Florida’s stance as a direct, troubling attack on #academicfreedom. Some have even called it fascist. https://www.chronicle.com/article/its-not-clear-whether-public-college-professors-have-first-amendment-rights-when-theyre-teaching
Some people hate Banned books week so much they're not only banning it in schools but calling police on it in libraries. https://www.foxcarolina.com/2022/09/27/police-called-library-investigate-obscene-material/
Notice that there is at least an entire generation of high school students who can't even have these books considered as part of their educational opportunities. Not at all. 5 years. And that's if school administration doesn't feel silenced to even ask. https://twitter.com/jonfreadom/status/1575111942586667008