Publisher Ragıp Zarakolu fined, writer Mehmet Güler receives suspended sentence
On March 10, 2011, Ragip Zarakolu, publisher and free expression activist, was sentenced to a fine, and author Mehmet Güler to a 15-month suspended prison term. More
Reporter Sentenced to One Year’s Imprisonment for Defamation
Journalist Armando José Chicoca has been handed down a one-year prison sentence and heavy fine handed down on March 3, 2011, which PEN believes is for his peaceful exercise… More
Writers Nedim Şener and Ahmet Şık formally charged
PEN International protests the detention of writers Ahmet Şık and Nedim Şener, who were formally charged with being members of the Ergenekon organization on March 6, 2011, and taken… More
Activist Dr. Abdul-Jalil Alsingace Released
Academic and human rights activist Dr. Abdul-Jalil Alsingace has been released after nearly seven months in detention. More
Writer Ye Du Detained; Fears for Safety
Wu Wei (pen name Ye Du), the webmaster and Network Coordinator of the Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC), is being held under residential surveillance for "inciting subversion of state… More
Renewed Crackdown on Dissidents and Activists; Fears for Safety
Over 100 human rights defenders and activists have reportedly been harassed, intimidated, or detained and a number of foreign journalists have been assaulted in a targeted campaign to suppress… More
Investigations Re-Opened into the Murders of Five Journalists
Russian investigators have pledged to re-open investigations into the cases of murdered journalists Valery Ivanov, Natalia Skryl, Aleksei Sidorov, Yuri Shchekochikhin, and Vagif Kochetkov. More
Investigations Re-Opened into the Murders of Five Journalists
RUSSIAPEN International welcomes a pledge by Russian investigators to re-open investigations into the cases of five murdered journalists. Valery Ivanov, Natalia Skryl, Aleksei Sidorov, Yuri Shchekochikhin, and Vagif Kochetkov… More
Second Writer Released and Allowed to Stay in Cuba; Three Still in Jail
Independent journalist and librarian Iván Hernández Carrillo was released on February 19, 2011, after nearly eight years' imprisonment. More
February 19 Is the Two-Month Anniversary of the Mass Arrest of Writers, Journalists
February 19, 2011, is the two-month anniversary of the mass arrests which followed demonstrations against the results of the flawed presidential election of December 19, 2010. More