Annah Ashaba Ashana
Ashaba is an exiled poet and online commentator. In 2021, she was forced to leave Uganda after she wrote a satirical poem about the country’s president. She fled to… More
Norman Tumuhimbise
While promoting his new book on political corruption in Uganda, The Liars and Accomplices, Tumuhimbise was arrested on March 10, 2022 for “offensive communication." He was released on bail… More
Danson Kahyana
A writer, poet, and academic, Dr Kanhaya's online writing was sometimes critical of the authorities. In April 2022, he was violently attacked by unkown assailants on his way home… More
PEN America and Amani: Africa Creative Defence Network Call on Ugandan President to Veto Anti-LGBTQI Rights Law, Condemning it as a Serious Strike Against Free Expression
“We have seen a troubling rise in cases of Ugandan artists and cultural professionals who have been arrested merely on the grounds of telling the stories of LGBTQI+ communities… More
Truth-Telling And Its Dire Consequences: PEN America Hosts Conversation with Writers Targeted by Authoritarians Around the Globe
The difficult plight of writers living under authoritarian rule has been well-documented over decades, with some enduring impossibly harsh treatment for their truth-telling and resistance to repression. More
Stella Nyanzi | Status: Displaced/In Exile | Uganda
Jump to: Case Background Case Updates In Their Words Dr. Stella Nyanzi, a Ugandan medical anthropologist, activist, and writer, was convicted after writing and posting a poem online, in which she criticized Ugandan… More
PEN America Calls for Release of Writer Kakwenza Rukirabashaija
On December 28, 2021, award-winning writer Kakwenza Rukirabashaija was detained by Ugandan security forces and taken into unlawful detention without charges or explanation. More
LGBTQ+ Advocate Frank Mugisha Discusses the State of Free Expression in Uganda
PEN America worked with a local partner to interview Frank Mugisha regarding the state of free expression for the Ugandan LGBTQ+ community. More
Virtual Solidarity Reading to Honor Imprisoned Women Writers and Activists
On Thursday, May 27, PEN America—in partnership with Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Amnesty International USA, and the makers of the documentary film NASRIN—will host a virtual reading in… More
PEN America Condemns Siege Around Ugandan Opposition Leader’s Home
“Placing Bobi Wine under military house arrest is just the latest iteration of a protracted and concerted effort by Ugandan authorities to silence his outspoken voice that began when… More
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