Release of Vietnamese Blogger “Mother Mushroom” A Welcome Development
"We are overjoyed to learn that Mother Mushroom has been released. Of course, she should never have been in prison in the first place, as blogging is not a… More
DARE: CNN’s Acosta: I’m Worried Trump’s Rhetoric Toward Media ‘Will Result in Somebody Getting Hurt’
As another Trump rally features crowds calling journalists traitors, CNN reporter Jim Acosta, a target of the invective, warns of the dangers from hostility toward media fueled by the… More
Mauritania: Coalition Calls for Release of Detained Journalist Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mkheitir
This statement was originally delivered at the 38th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on June 27, 2018 Mauritania: Group of 10 Civil Society Organizations Calls for… More
DARE: Supreme Court Upholds Travel Ban
Supreme Court decision upholds President Trump’s executive order to restrict entry to the U.S. of travelers from seven countries, five of them predominantly Muslim. In dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor… More
DARE: Stephen King Among the Honorees at PEN America Gala
Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale, tells the 2018 PEN America Literary Gala that "the autocrats' playbook for discrediting critical coverage… is now going viral" and warns "the… More
Egypt: blogger faces new prison sentence for ‘insulting the judiciary’
PEN is deeply concerned that blogger and activist Alaa Abd El Fattah could be subjected to a new prison sentence at his next hearing on December 30, 2017 under… More
Mauritania: President must ensure that blogger Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed regain his freedom
This joint letter was sent to the Mauritanian President on December 6, 2017. Dear President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, We, the undersigned international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), ask you to ensure that blogger… More
DARE: White House: Trump didn’t know anti-Muslim videos came from U.K. fringe group
White House press secretary says President Trump didn't now that anti-Muslim videos he re-tweeted were connected to British far-right group, but he served to "elevate the conversation." More
Mauritanian Blogger Released from Prison
NEW YORK—PEN America welcomes the release of blogger Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mkheitir in Mauritania after more than three years behind bars. Mkheitir was condemned to death in 2014 for apostasy. The… More
Vietnamese Blogger Mother Mushroom Sentenced to 10 Years’ Imprisonment
(NEW YORK)—Vietnam’s sentencing of the blogger known as “Mother Mushroom” to 10 years in prison after a one-day trial is yet another shocking example of Vietnamese authorities’ institutional assault… More