“Free from Chains! Thank You!”: A Statement from Eskinder Nega
Needless to say, our journey has yet to be complete. How long this journey will take no one knows. What we know for certain is what the immediate future… More
2012 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award Winner Eskinder Nega Freed After Almost Seven Years in Prison in Ethiopia
We are overjoyed that Eskinder has been freed, and call on the governments of Ethiopia and the United States to ensure that he can be speedily reunited with his… More
DARE: New Mexico Paper Apologizes for Cartoon Portraying ‘Dreamers’ as Muggers
The editor of one of New Mexico’s leading newspapers, The Albuquerque Journal, issued an apology over an editorial cartoon that many people interpreted as a bigoted attack on DACA… More
2012 PEN/Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award Winner Eskinder Nega to be Released After More Than Six Years in Prison in Ethiopia
“We are overjoyed at news that Eskinder has been pardoned and is to be freed to reunite with his family and return to his writing. We hope that his release is immediate… More
2018 PEN America Literary Gala & Free Expression Awards
Tuesday, May 22, 6:30pm American Museum of Natural History Central Park West at 79th Street, New York City Watch videos and read transcripts from the night of the 2018 PEN America Literary… More
ETHIOPIA: Zone 9 Bloggers Acquitted on Charges of Terrorism
PEN American Center welcomes the Ethiopian court's decision today to acquit four of the Zone 9 bloggers on terrorism charges. The acquittal is a positive move in a landmark… More
Welcome to Zone 9: Ethiopia
Kality is divided into eight zones. The prisoners found one more zone of their own imagination. They called the rest of the country beyond their compound “zone 9” implying… More
In Ethiopia, Protecting Yourself Online is a Crime
The seven members of the Zone 9 blogger collective, who sprung to international attention upon their arrest last April, stand accused of associating with outlawed political groups and of… More
African Writers Call for Release of Zone 9 Bloggers in Ethiopia
On the eve of Press Freedom Day, a group of African writers joined together at the PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature to call for the release of… More
Letter to Secretary of State John Kerry: Speak Up for Writers in Ethiopia
On April 25 and 26, Ethiopian authorities arrested six prominent bloggers and three freelance journalists on the eve of Secretary of State John Kerry's arrival in Addis Ababa to… More