Faraj Ahmad Birqdar | Status: Released | Syria
Syrian poet Faraj Ahmad Birqdar spent over 13 years in jail from 1987 to 2000 due to his work on behalf of free expression and non-violent political action. He… More
Nizar Nayouf | Status: In Exile | Syria
Nizar Nayouf is a writer, sociologist, and human rights activist who, at the time of the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award, was serving a 10-year prison sentence with… More
Syria: Thirteen Scenes From Hell
Not a day goes by without me hearing the same old refrain from my women friends: “Shouldn’t the opposition council represent the revolution? Where are the women? Don’t we… More
Syria: What Does it Mean to be a Syrian Poet Today?
Ghost towns, devastated forests, fire-ravaged fruit groves, refugees in their millions, deaths in their hundreds of thousands, a raging war and a future without prospects. This, in a nutshell,… More
Playwright Arrested; Fears for Safety
PEN International fears for the safety of Syrian playwright and actor Zaki Cordillo, who has been held since August 13, 2012, in Damascus and is considered to be at… More
Tal Al-Mallouhi | Status: In Prison | Syria
Tal Al-Mallouhi is a student, blogger, and poet from Homs, Syria, serving a five-year sentence for "divulging information to a foreign state." No evidence was disclosed to justify… More
Michel Kilo | Status: Released | Syria
Prominent writer and journalist Michel Kilo contributes to the leading Lebanese daily Al-Nahar and the London-based daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi. Initially, Kilo was arrested on May 14, 2006 when he… More
Aref Dalila | Status: Released | Syria
Dr. Aref Dalila, born in 1942, is a writer and former economics professor and Dean of the Faculty of Economics at Damascus University. He was an advocate of political… More
QA: Büşra Ersanli freed trial
From the day that the prosecutor ruled my detention, until now, everything has been upside down. I am speechless and now going back to Silivri [prison] to pack my… More
Journalist Mazen Darwich at Risk of Facing a Secret Military Tribunal
PEN International is seriously concerned that prominent journalist and freedom of expression activist Mazen Darwich is at risk of being brought before a secret military tribunal. Hearings before such… More
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NEW: The navy's decision to suspend a captain for speaking out about a #COVID19 outbreak on his ship is "shameful" and should alarm anyone who values the First Amendment, says our CEO @SuzanneNossel. Read our statement: https://bit.ly/2UWj5Wv
As COVID-19 takes the world by storm, cartoonists and illustrators are expressing statements of solidarity, sharing experiences (and grievances), and laughing a little. https://bit.ly/2UzFV7b