Michel Kilo
In 2006, Kilo was arrested after signing a declaration in support of diplomatic relations between Syria and Lebanon. He was sentenced to three years in prison for spreading false… More
Tal Al-Mallouhi
Poet, student, and blogger Al-Mallouhi was detained in December 2009 for the content of her blog posts. In 2011, she was convicted of “divulging information to a foreign state”… More
Nizar Nayouf
Poet, journalist, and activist Nayouf was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 1992 for his membership in the banned CDF and for his role as editor-in-chief of the… More
Moheeb Al-Nawaty
Palestinian journalist and author Al-Nawaty was detained for unspecified “security reasons” in 2011 while translating his book in Damascus. In 2013, the Norwegian government reported he was in Syrian… More
Abd Al-Akram Al-Sakka
On July 15, 2011, Abd Al-Akram Al-Sakka was arrested from his home without a warrant. His whereabouts and the conditions of his detention are unknown. Al-Sakka was last seen… More
Ali Al-Shihabi
Syrian Palestinian political analyst, writer, and blogger Al-Shihabi was arrested in December 2012 by the Palestine Branch of Syrian Military Intelligence. His location is unknown, but there are unconfirmed… More
Zaki Cordillo
Playwright and key figure in the Puppet Theatre, Cordillo was arrested with his son in Damascus on August 11, 2012. He is reportedly detained for his writing on Syria,… More
Hussein Essou
Kurdish writer Essou was arrested from his home by Syrian Air Force intelligence agents for allegedly participating in anti-government activity and advocating reform in September 2011. As of December… More
Abduhadi Kasheet
Writer and journalist Kasheet was arrested in July 2013 by the Air Force Intelligence Branch of Aleppo. His death was first reported in October 2013, and was later reported… More
Adnan Zarra’ai
Playwright and scriptwriter Zarra’ai was reportedly arrested in February 2012 and was detained incommunicado in the State Security Detention Centre in Damascus. His rib was reportedly broken by torture.… More
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PEN America On 
"Efforts, successful ones, such as these, to dramatically shrink, surveil and manipulate the content of education in America must be the single gravest matter facing education today." #EdScare https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2022/12/08/educational-gag-orders-are-student-rights-issue-opinion
"If a young person has a question about anything in life, the safe and accurate place to get the information is not the internet—it's the library," said former teacher Monica Edwards
League City, TX voted to ban children's books on certain topics anyway https://www.axios.com/local/houston/2022/12/08/league-city-children-book-criteria
In this week's #PENTen interview, PEN America’s Los Angeles Program Director Jenn Dees speaks with @knguyenpoetry, author of Here I Am Burn Me (@writebloody Publishing, 2022). https://pen.org/the-pen-ten-an-interview-with-kimberly-nguyen/ #AuthorsOfTwitter