Publisher and Leading Turkish PEN Member Ragip Zarakolu Arrested
PEN American Center has confirmed that Turkish publisher and PEN member Ragip Zarakolu has been formally arrested under Turkey’s anti-terrorism laws and imprisoned pending trial. In all, 23 of… More
PEN to Secretary Clinton: Stand Up for Human Rights in Uzbekistan
On the eve of Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton’s visit to Uzbekistan and in the midst of discussions in Congress on a bill that would waive restrictions on military and… More
PEN Welcomes Release of Burmese Comedian and Poet Zargana
PEN American Center is thrilled that Zargana, an Honorary Member of the center, has been released from prison following a general amnesty that saw 206 political prisoners released today… More
South African PEN Protests Treatment of Dalai Lama Visa Application
South African PEN is deeply concerned at the shameful manner in which the South African Government has dealt with an application for a visa to attend the private birthday… More
Five Years On, Writers Continue to Call for Justice for Anna Politkovskaya
On the five-year anniversary of the murder of acclaimed Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, PEN American Center once again appealed to the Russian government for justice, citing an ongoing “climate… More
PEN Commends 2011 Nobel Literature Laureate Tomas Tranströmer
PEN American Center congratulates Tomas Tranströmer, an active member of Swedish PEN, on his selection to receive the 2011 Nobel Prize for Literature. More
PEN Welcomes Deji Olukotun as First Freedom to Write Fellow
PEN American Center today announced that Deji Olukotun, a lawyer and writer with extensive international development and advocacy experience, is the recipient of a new Ford Foundation-sponsored 18-month fellowship… More
PEN American Center Announces Recipients of the 2011 PEN Literary Awards
PEN American Center, the largest branch of the world’s oldest literary and human rights organization, today announced the winners and runners-up of the 2011 PEN Awards, the most comprehensive… More
PEN, Citing U.N. Ruling, Urges China to Release Liu Xiaobo Immediately
Calling the recent ruling by a United Nations body that PEN member and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo and his wife Liu Xia are being illegally detained “a… More
The PEN World Voices Festival Joins the Word Alliance
The PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature in New York has joined the six other international Literary Festivals which make up the ground-breaking Word Alliance, which was formed… More