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
PEN America Calls for Release of Ukrainian Theater Director Yevhen Lavrenchuk
PEN America called for the immediate release of Ukrainian theater director Yevhen Lavrenchuk, who has been detained in Italy since December 17 following an extradition request to Interpol from… More
PEN America Denounces the Upcoming Trial and Arbitrary Detention of Journalist and Human Rights Defender Pham Doan Trang
“The international community has made it abundantly clear that the ongoing detention of Pham Doan Trang is unacceptable,” said Karin Deutsch Karlekar, director of Free Expression at Risk Programs… More
China Must Release Ailing Journalist Who Covered COVID Outbreak
Chinese authorities must immediately release citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, who is reportedly “close to death” while on hunger strike in protest of her imprisonment for documenting and reporting the… More
PEN America Decries Arrests of Chinese Social Media Users Who Critiqued Film
PEN America today denounced the recent arrests of two Chinese social media users who made critical comments about The Battle of Changjin Lake, a state-sponsored blockbuster film set during… More
On One Year Anniversary of His Arrest, Vietnamese Writer Tran Duc Thach Must Be Freed
— On the one year anniversary of Vietnamese writer Tran Duc Thach’s arrest, PEN America reiterates its call for Vietnamese authorities to release him. More
Bangladeshi Cartoonist Released on Bail, But Charges Must Be Dropped
Imprisoned Bangladeshi cartoonist Ahmed Kishore was granted bail today on health grounds after nearly a year in detention. More
Amid Protest Crackdown in India, PEN America Calls for Protection of Free Expression
As protests have rippled across India in recent months, police have become increasingly violent and the government has taken drastic steps to limit information. More
Charges Against Jimmy Lai, Arrest of Haze Fan are Dual Blows Against Press Freedom
“Jimmy Lai is being treated as an enemy of the state for the apparent ‘crime’ of speaking his mind about the city he loves." More
Turkey Arrests 93 in Raid on Turkish Music Collective’s Cultural Center
“These arrests are yet another demonstration that freedom of expression does not exist for Turkish musicians whose lyrics criticize the government." More
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Join @MargaretAtwood in helping PEN America #FreeTheBooks... all donations 100% matched today!
“A democracy depends on an educated and literate population, a population that's curious and able to think for itself and to read widely,” @PaisleyRekdal of @PENAmerica's Utah chapter on recent bans on 22 books in the Alpine school district. #FreeTheBooks https://www.kuer.org/education/2022-11-29/these-are-the-22-books-removed-from-utahs-alpine-school-district
Join us to hear @NK_Adjei read work from the 2022 Prison Writing Awards at Break Out on Dec 2nd. RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/break-out-celebrating-the-2022-pen-america-prison-writing-award-winners-tickets-433513068257