PEN America Condemns Ongoing Russian Efforts to Stifle Independent Media and Civil Society
“The Russian Federation is using every tactic in the book to silence criticism and open debate. Laws that define organizations as ‘undesirable,’ that limit their options to receive funding,… More
Five Year Prison Sentence Against Performance Artist in Russia Is “Unjust” Criminalization of Free Expression
“There is great irony when a one-man protest against political imprisonment becomes itself a case of an artist wrongfully incarcerated,” said Polina Sadovskaya, director of Eurasia programs at PEN… More
PEN America Recognizes the Courage and Activism of Nobel Peace Prize Winners in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus
“Living under a government determined to break the will of even its most stalwart critics, Bialiatski has fought for human rights unflinchingly for decades, sacrificing his freedom, safety, and… More
Artists at Risk Connection Condemns Arrests of Russia Poets Related to Anti-War Event
Julie Trebault, director of the Artists at Risk Connection, said: “Our hearts are with Artem Kamardin, Nikolay Dayneko, and Egor Shtovba and their friends and families during this difficult… More
PEN America Denounces Propaganda Against and Russian Imprisonment of Ukrainian Activist
“The sudden onslaught of propaganda against Butkevych is full of lies, and his service in the field of human rights is not a ‘cover’ for anything. ” said Polina… More
PEN America Demands Release of Russian Artist Alexandra Skochilenko, Arrested for Replacing Supermarket Price Labels with Anti-War Messages
“While the Russian authorities have been cracking down on artistic expression for years, the outbreak of the war has resulted in an exponentially more perilous environment for artists. They… More
Putin Continues Destruction of Independent Media by Declaring Eight Media Figures ‘Foreign Agents’
"Those Russian journalists who have persisted in speaking the truth and uncovering the crimes of the Putin regime--no matter the cost--deserve the support and solidarity of the international community." More
PEN America Responds to the Deaths of Filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravicius and Photojournalist Maksim Levin in Ukraine
"Kvedaravicus and Levin will be remembered for their remarkable courage and for the vital contributions they have made to exposing the devastating, ongoing impact of Russian aggression against Ukraine.… More
War is Always a Danger for Journalists. This Time is No Different. But Press Freedom Itself is Under Siege, Too.
The war in Ukraine is putting a heavy burden on the journalists reporting on the ground, who are risking their lives to expose the truth. But this war--also a… More
How to Prevent the Spread of Disinformation About Russia’s War on Ukraine: A Tip Sheet
How can students mobilize and respond to book bans? This guide will help you fight back against book bans and build a stronger community of readers and advocates in… More