Turkey: Charges Against Kurdish PEN Member Must Be Dropped
PEN is deeply concerned for the well-being of Kurdish PEN member, writer and poet Meral Şimşek, who is facing up to 20 years on two separate charges. PEN believes… More
Five Years Post-Coup Attempt, Turkey’s Writers Face Ever-Deepening Crackdown on Free Expression
In the five years since a coup attempt in Turkey, the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has orchestrated a repressive, society-wide crackdown that has dramatically limited free expression… More
Aslı Erdoğan | Status: On Trial | Turkey
Aslı Erdoğan is a renowned novelist and human rights activist in Turkey who faced terrorism charges for her journalistic work. More
PEN America: China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey Remain World’s Top Jailers of Writers
In PEN America’s annual census of detained writers worldwide, The Freedom to Write Index, the literary and free expression group found that in 2020, at least 273 writers, academics,… More
Ahmet Sever
A writer and journalist, Sever has been on trial since April 2019 on charges of insulting President Erdoğan in Sever's book My Testimony. An advisor and press chief to… More
Emre Günsal
Comedian Günsal was arrested in Istanbul in April 2020 for writing in his stand-up show that allegedly insulted Turkey's first president Kemal Atatürk and prominent figures in the city… More
Hasan Basri Aydın
Hasan Basri Aydın was briefly detained at the airport after returning to Istanbul for medical treatment on charges of insulting two former justice ministers. He was officially arrested and… More
Murat Ağırel
Ağırel was arrested and held in isolation in March 2020 over allegedly spreading national security secrets. An investigation was launched for “insults” in his book Sarmal, for which he… More
Ömer Aslan Porçay
In 2018, popular satirist Ömer Aslan, known as Porçay on YouTube was charged with encouraging the use of psychotropic substances for writing a rap song, in which he parodied… More
PEN America Welcomes Release of Turkish Journalist Ahmet Altan
PEN America today welcomed the news that Turkish journalist Ahmet Altan has been released from prison after spending more than four years behind bars. More
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Hong Kong has banned films that run contrary to the interests of a Beijing-drafted national security law, the latest crackdown on freedom of expression in the Asian financial hub. https://bloom.bg/3pJiNTU
NEW: Cuban artist and Latin Grammy-nominated rapper Maykel “Osorbo” Castillo, who has been detained at the maximum security Pinar del Río prison since May 2021, began a hunger strike today. We call on the Cuban government to immediately release Castillo. https://pen.org/press-release/maykel-castillo-begins-hunger-strike/
Celebrated bestselling author Sandra Cisneros joins #PENOutLoud on 11/3, with novelist Jamie Manrique, to discuss her new book, MARTITA I REMEMBER YOU/MARTITA TE RECUERDO, and its “tribute to the life-changing power of youthful friendship.” Tickets: https://bit.ly/3AoUSM5.
