PEN America Condemns Sentencing of Myanmar Writer-Activist Wai Moe Naing and Calls for His Release
“The sentencing of Wai Moe Naing following months of arbitrary detention and an unfair trial blatantly flouts international judicial standards and reveals the Myanmar junta’s deliberate effort to silence… More
PEN America Calls for Immediate Release of Burmese Artist and Activist Htein Lin Detained in Yangon
“The arbitrary and sudden arrests of Vicky Bowman and Htein Lin are yet more examples of the sweeping and abusive power that the military junta has wielded since its… More
Executions of Pro-Demcracy Activists in Myanmar Raise Fears of Escalation of Military Campaign of Terror Against Civilians
The U.S. Government Must Apply Pressure to Stop the Junta from Further Abuses By Liesl Gerntholtz and Nadine Farid Johnson The shattering news that four democracy activists were secretly executed at… More
Secret Military Executions of Four Pro-Democracy Myanmar Activists a “Devastating Act of Brutality”
Liesl Gerntholz, director of the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Center, said: “This is an unspeakable act of brutality, an abhorrent act. We join their families and the people of… More
Vow to Execute Cultural Figures and Activists Shows Myanmar Junta’s Disdain for Human Rights and Rule of Law
“These excessive sentences and rapid execution schedule, following a farcical closed-door trial by a military tribunal, fly in the face of international legal norms and should be reversed immediately,”… More
PEN America and International Publishers Association Joint Statement: Myanmar’s Closing of Third Publishing House Appears to Represent a New Onslaught Against Literary and Creative Content
“Closing these publishing houses is a gross misuse of the judicial system and outdated, restrictive laws to prosecute individuals and businesses for producing or disseminating written content,” said Karin… More
PEN America Condemns Harsh Sentencing of Myanmar Filmmaker Ma Aeint, Sentenced to Three Years in Prison with Hard Labor on Baseless Charges
“The sentencing of Ma Aeint to three years imprisonment with hard labor should be understood as part of a broad and deliberate effort by Myanmar’s military officials to silence… 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
Chan Thar Swe K Za Win
After spending over a year in prison for taking part in a 2015 rally for education reform, the activist and former Buddhist monk, known by his pen name K… More
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"There need to be spaces for Americans to learn about Blackness outside of an American context," writes @KeishelNOTKesha in reaction to @ChimamandaReal's novel Half of a Yellow Sun being challenged and banned from a classroom in Michigan. #BannedBooks https://pen.org/chimamanda-ngozie-adichies-half-of-a-yellow-sun-the-danger-of-a-single-untold-story/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=social-pug
PEN America Calls for Spurious Charges to be Dropped Against Writer, Playwright, and Filmmaker Tsitsi Dangarembga (@EfieZethu) in Zimbabwe. #TsitsiDangarembga https://pen.org/press-release/pen-america-calls-for-spurious-charges-to-be-dropped-against-writer-playwright-and-filmmaker-tsitsi-dangarembgaon-in-zimbabwe/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=social-pug
PEN America Calls for Release of Imprisoned Iranian Writers and Artists as Anti-Government Protests Land Dissident Voices in Jail. #Iran #RezaKhandanMahabadi https://pen.org/press-release/pen-america-calls-for-release-of-imprisoned-iranian-writers-and-artists-as-anti-government-protests-land-dissident-voices-in-jail/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=social-pug