PEN America Condemns Russia’s Labeling of Bard College an “Undesirable Organization”
The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office last week labeled Bard College as an “undesirable” non-governmental organization in Russia, effectively banning the institution of higher education from continuing its operations on… More
Russian Filmmaker Barred From Leaving Country to Attend Film Festival
Russian authorities have banned acclaimed director Kirill Serebrennikov from leaving the country, meaning he will be unable to attend the debut of his Palme d’Or-nominated film Petrov’s Flu at… More
Yury Dmitriev | Status: Imprisoned | Russia
Yury Dmitriev, Russian historian and head of the Karelian branch of the human rights center Memorial, was detained in Petrozavodsk on December 13, 2016, on suspicion of production of… More
Russian Artist Declares Hunger Strike to Protest Closed-Door Trial
Russian feminist artist and LGBTQIA+ activist Yulia Tsvetkova announced a hunger strike earlier this week to demand that her trial, which began last month, be opened to the public.… More
Russian Government Slaps Independent Media Outlet With “Foreign Agent” Label
Russia's government took the drastic step of designating the privatey-owned media outlet Meduza as a "foreign agent" late last week. More
Stanislav Dmitrievsky | Status: Under Threat | Russia
Stanislav Dmitrievsky, a human rights advocate, is continually under threat for his work promoting human rights in Chechnya. More
Ivan Safronov
Investigative journalist Safronov was arrested in July 2020 for allegedly passing along classified information to Czech intelligence. He was held in pretrial detention for over two years. The charges… More
Trial of Russian Artist Charged With “Disseminating Pornography” Begins
A Russian feminist artist and LGBTQIA+ activist is being tried this week on charges of disseminating pornography for her artwork that depicts nude bodies. More
PEN America Alarmed by Raid on Russian Student Publication
PEN America is deeply worried by reports of a raid on the offices of Doxa, a student-run journal based in Moscow, and on the residences of its staff that… More
PEN America Concerned by Continued Harassment of Russian Anti-Corruption Journalist
PEN America called a reopened criminal case into Russian investigative reporter Roman Anin “a highly concerning threat to free expression and to journalists in Russia.” More