A Literary Festival in Myanmar?
The Irrawaddy Literary Festival, organized by the wife of the British ambassador to Myanmar, features an impressive lineup of foreign writers, but what’s even more exciting is the roster… More
Pre-Emptive Strike Against Journalists in Iran
PEN is following troubling developments in Iran, where authorities appear to have launched a pre-emptive strike on journalists in advance of the upcoming 2013 elections. More
PEN Case Studies in Digital Freedom – Targeting Individuals
On December 24, 2012, writer Turki al-Hamad was arrested in Saudi Arabia for posting several tweets on Twitter in which he criticized Islamists. Al-Hamad is a political analyst and… More
Nasrin Sotoudeh Returns to Prison
Nasrin Sotoudeh was returned to Evin Prison late Monday night after a short, three-day furlough, her husband Reza Khandan reports. On a Facebook page dedicated to Nasrin's release, Reza… More
Nasrin Sotoudeh Temporarily Released From Prison
We were thrilled to learn that Nasrin Sotoudeh, winner of the 2011 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award, was temporarily released from Evin Prison today and reunited with her… More
Activists Break Through Security to Visit Liu Xia
In a video, Liu Xia who is under house arrest, can at times be seen smiling as she's greeted by friends who broke through a security cordon around her… More
Human Rights Travesty in Cameroon for Writer Enoh Meyomesse
In what appears to be a clear violation of human rights and the right to free expression, a judge has sentenced Cameroonian writer Enoh Meyomesse to seven years in… More
Activists Break Through Security to Visit Liu Xia
Last Friday, writers, activists, and intellectuals Hu Jia, Xu Youyu, Hao Jian, and Liu Di broke through a security cordon around their friend Liu Xia's apartment in Beijing and… More
On the Anniversary of Liu Xiaobo’s Arrest
It was disappointing to watch Mo Yan gloss over China’s systematic censorship—censorship he has had to navigate throughout his career—during his official Nobel Prize lecture today in Stockholm. It… More