Detailing Severe Human Rights Abuses in Belarus, Leaders Call on the UN Human Rights Council to Extend the Mandate of the Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Belarus
In Taped Reading, Author Margaret Atwood Reads Letter from her Belarusian Translator About the Arrests and Jailing of Writers, Journalists and Publishers By Suzanne Trimel (NEW YORK)-- The severe deterioration of… More
PEN America Condemns Sentencing of Belarusian Philosopher Uladzimir Mackievic to Five Years in a Penal Colony After Closed-Door Hearing
“With each individual detained and incarcerated for their protests against Lukashenka, we see how the situation in Belarus deteriorates and grows more dire,” said Polina Sadovskaya, director of Eurasia… More
The PEN Pod: On PEN Belarus, Book Bans, and Vaccine Misinformation with Suzanne Nossel
“Book bans are alive and well, and that they move with the culture. They tend to crop up as a battleground in connection with culture wars.” More
The PEN Pod: Resilience, Struggle, and the Fight for Freedom in Belarus with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya
“I’m sure that Belarus will be a success story. We will win [against] autocracy. We will bring our country to democratic changes.” More
The PEN Pod: On Authoritarian Regimes and Public Pressure Campaigns with Summer Lopez
“These governments are trying to send a clear message that you’re not safe or free, no matter where you go, to dissidents.” More
Joint Call Condemning the Belarusian Regime’s Raids on Journalists and Human Rights Activists and Demanding the Release of those Detained
We condemn the government of Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s relentless crackdown on journalists and human rights activists, and demand that Belarusian authorities cease their raids. More
The PEN Pod: On Belarus, Hong Kong, and Free Speech Rights for Students
“We’ve come to recognize how vitally important it is to educated young people on free speech rights, and that isn’t being systematically done.” More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Valzhyna Mort
“I write in English to make the Belarusian experience visible in it. . . [and] I write in Belarusian because, to put it briefly, it’s the most badass language… More
The PEN Pod: Resisting Political Violence and Dictatorship in Belarus with Hanna Komar
“I. . . and we as Belarusians fighting for our freedom, want the world to know that Lukashenko is not our president, because we didn’t vote for him.” More
Alert Us
Are you an artist at risk or know someone who is?
PEN America On 
When PEN America's @jonfreadom gives a @TEDxKC talk, you learn a lot about #BookBans #Censorship and #StudentsRights... and little bit about #Seahorses, too.
#BookDefenders: Want to learn how to challenge censorship in your community and elsewhere? Attend our livestream on the 17th at 8pm EST on "How to Effectively Fight Against Book Bans." Featuring speakers from @diversebooks @ncacensorship @PENamerica
This essay by Jonathan Zimmerman is the first in the Freedom to Learn series sponsored by PEN America, providing historical context for controversies surrounding free expression in education today. https://www.washingtonpost.com/made-by-history/2022/08/15/truth-about-history-education-wars-2022/
