Arash Ganji | Status: Released | Iran
Arash Ganji is a prominent writer, translator, and the Secretary of the Iranian Writers’ Association (IWA), who was sentenced to 11 years in prison for his translation of a… More
PEN America to Honor Imprisoned Iranian Writers and Free Expression Advocates Baktash Abtin, Keyvan Bajan, and Reza Khandan Mahabadi at 2021 Gala
PEN America today announces three imprisoned Iranian writers and free expression advocates—celebrated poet, screenwriter, and filmmaker Baktash Abtin; novelist and journalist Keyvan Bajan; and author, literary critic, and popular… More
Alireza Nouri
Nouri, a member of the Iranian Writers' Association, was sentenced to two years imprisonment on the charge of “blasphemy through writing offensive poetry online” in 2017. While his prison… More
Communication to the UN Commission on the Status of Women on the Persecution of Iranian Women’s Rights Defenders
We joined Iranian human rights organizations to alert the UN CSW to the persecution and prosecution of women human rights defenders in Iran. More
Rights Groups: Iranian Dissidents Remain at Risk Worldwide Without International Action
PEN America and other rights groups sound the alarm about Iran's drastic steps to silence dissidents well beyond the country's borders. More
Iranian Agents Indicted in Plot to Kidnap Journalist and Activist in the U.S.
A federal court in New York today unsealed an indictment charging four Iranians in a plot to kidnap a Brooklyn-based journalist, author, and human rights advocate who had criticized… More
Biden Administration Must Prioritize Human Rights and Free Expression in Responding to Iranian Election Outcome
As Iran elects a new president, PEN America urged the Biden Administration to emphasize the country’s dire human rights situation as it responds to the outcome of the vote. More
Nasrin Sotoudeh
A human rights lawyer and prominent voice of conscience, Sotoudeh was briefly rearrested and beaten in October 2023 while attending a funeral of a slain teenage girl. She had… More
Nasrin Sotoudeh | Status: Imprisoned | Iran
Nasrin Sotoudeh, a prominent human rights lawyer, writer, activist, and former political prisoner, was abruptly re-arrested and beaten on October 29, 2023 as she was attending the funeral of… More
Virtual Solidarity Reading to Honor Imprisoned Women Writers and Activists
On Thursday, May 27, PEN America—in partnership with Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Amnesty International USA, and the makers of the documentary film NASRIN—will host a virtual reading in… More
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