Arrest of Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Leaders “Attempt to Punish Opponents for Dissent”
Hong Kong authorities are clearly attempting to exploit global focus on the coronavirus as cover to crack down on pro-democracy activists and advocates. More
New PEN America Report Shows Local Watchdog Journalism Faces a Crisis Moment
“The crisis facing local news is existential. The collapse of media outlets and the slashing of newsrooms are starving communities of the stories and the scrutiny that are vital… More
Cameroonian Rapper and Activist to Appear Before Court, Could Face Death Penalty
"This is clearly a targeted attempt to silence an internationally known and beloved rapper who strives, both through his music and his activism, to critique the government and inspire… More
Arrest of Hong Kong Activists “An Assault on Activism and Protest”
“This is not the justice system in action,” said PEN America’s Tager. “Rather, this is a crackdown against critical voices whose influence the Hong Kong—and Beijing—governments fear.” More
Trump’s Manufactured State of Emergency a Clear Effort to Grab Power and Evade Checks and Balances
"The manufactured state of emergency the President has announced today is a familiar ploy of authoritarian governments—to grab power and evade checks and balances based on a crisis of… More
DARE: Memphis Police Accused of Using Fake Accounts to Surveil Black Activists
Evidence emerges of Memphis police department using fake social media accounts to surveil Black Lives Matter activists. Sarah Huckabee Sanders defends attacks on CNN's Jim Acosta. More
Macedonian PEN Center: Fostering Culture and Community
In this month's PEN World, we present an audio interview conducted by Polina Kovaleva with the President of Macedonian PEN, Ermis Lafazanovski. More
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The Philippines will reimpose a stricter coronavirus lockdown in and around the capital for two weeks from Tuesday, President Rodrigo Duterte announced, as the country struggles to contain infections that have jumped to more than 100,000 cases. https://bit.ly/2Xq8apQ
Join PEN America & @usc_uschina on 8/5 for a discussion of PEN America's upcoming report on how Chinese censors have spread their influence across filmmaking in the U.S. — incl. recommendations for how Hollywood can chart a better path forward: https://bit.ly/30tYkFH.
Protesters took to the streets in cities across Russia on Saturday in support of jailed Khabarovsk former governor Sergei Furgal. Russian federal police detained protesters in the cities of Saint Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Moscow. https://bit.ly/30m2Kye