Nasrin Sotoudeh | Status: Detained | Iran
Nasrin Sotoudeh was abruptly re-arrested on June 13, 2018 and taken to Evin prison. According to her husband, who she managed to speak to shortly after her detention, she… More
Iran: Writer and poet released on bail
Author and poet Dr. Sedigheh Vasmaghi was released on bail on November 4, 2017. Vasmaghi had been held in Evin prison since October 22 where she was brought for… More
Iran: Writer and poet arrested upon return to Iran
PEN is deeply concerned about the well-being and safety of Dr. Sedigheh Vasmaghi, an Iranian author and poet who was arrested by the Iranian authorities upon her arrival to… More
Mehdi and Hossein Rajabian | Status: Conditional Release | Iran
Iranian musician Mehdi Rajabian and his brother, writer and filmmaker Hossein Rajabian, are currently serving three-year prison sentences on charges of “insulting Islamic sanctities,” “propaganda against the state,” and… More
DARE: Daily Alert on Rights and Expression
Berkeley cancels speaker amid protests while Trump threatens its funding, French press removed from far right press conference, and more. More
Reflecting on Resistance: Exiled Filmmaker Praises Inspiring Female Activists
Reflections by Iranian filmmaker, Emad Tayefeh, currently living in exile in New York on the women who have inspired him during his years advocating for change in his homeland.… More
Narges Mohammadi | Status: Convicted | Iran
Narges Mohammadi is an independent journalist and the former vice-president and spokesperson of the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC), which advocates for human rights reform and represents political… More
Sepideh Jodeyri | Status: In Exile | Iran
Sepideh Jodeyri is an Iranian poet who translated the French graphic novel Blue is The Warmest Color by Julie Maroh into Persian. Jodeyri’s translation of the novel, which tells… More
Joint Letter to Rouhani: Secure Release of Iranian Cartoonist Atena Farghadani
PEN American is among 40 rights groups who have signed a letter to President Hassan Rouhani below, asking him to work with Iran’s judiciary to release cartoonist Atena Farghadani. More
Atena Farghadani | Status: Released | Iran
Atena Farghadani is an Iranian artist and political activist. She was first arrested in August 2014 for a cartoon she drew lampooning a family planning law, which depicted lawmakers… More
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PEN America On 
It remains unclear why Marzieh Hashemi was detained, as she still faces no charges and is being brought as a material witness in another case.
We hope to learn more about the circumstances and rationale for her detention by the US government. https://t.co/tjVrBn3agZ