PEN America Condemns Iran’s Sentencing of U.S.-based Iranian Writer and Activist’s Brother
“We are horrified that Alireza Alinejad—who has been detained without charge since September 2019—has been sentenced to an eight-year prison term on trumped-up charges.” More
Nasrin Sotoudeh, Imprisoned in Iran
Nasrin Sotoudeh is a human rights lawyer and public intellectual who has faced harassment and intimidation for years and spent time in and out of prison. 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
Sepideh Jodeyri | Status: Displaced/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: Detained | Iran
Atena Farghadani is an Iranian artist and political activist. On June 7, 2023, she was summoned to the Evin prosecutor’s office and arrested after posting a political cartoon on… More