Eşber Yağmurdereli | Status: Released | Turkey
Blind playwright, poet, short story author, screenwriter, and lawyer, Eşber Yağmurdereli has been in and out of prison since 1978 and was the 1999 recipient of the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith… More
Ayşe Nur Zarakolu | Status: Deceased | Turkey
Founder of Turkey’s Freedom to Publish Committee, Ayşe Nur Zarakolu was a political essayist, the director of Belge Publishing House, and the only woman publishing director in Turkey at… More
TURKEY: Cumhuriyet Daily Web Editor Arrested
PEN is deeply concerned about the arrest of Cumhuriyet daily web editor Oğuz Güven, bringing the number of Cumhuriyet staff currently jailed pending trial to 13. Güven was arrested… More
TURKEY: Reopening of Case Against Pinar Selek Is An Unconscionable Disservice to Judicial Process
NEW YORK—The reopening of the 19-year-old case against Turkish sociologist and feminist Pinar Selek after a remarkable four acquittals is an unconscionable disservice to the judicial process, PEN America… More
Pınar Selek | Status: In Exile | Turkey
In July 1998, writer, sociologist, and feminist Pınar Selek was arrested in connection with an explosion at the Istanbul Spice Bazaar, a tragedy that led to the deaths of… More
DARE: Daily Alert on Rights and Expression
Donald Trump repeats many of his debunked falsehoods in an interview with Time, Mike Huckabee defends the NEA, and more. More
TURKEY: Turkish-German journalist Deniz Yücel must be released immediately
PEN expresses grave concern at the arrest and detention of Turkish-German journalist Deniz Yücel, who was charged on February 27, 2017, with incitement to hatred and making propaganda in… More
Joint Statement on the Deterioration of Freedom of Expression and Media Freedom in Turkey
This was originally presented as an oral statement to the UN Human Rights Council by Sarah Clarke of PEN International on March 15, 2017. PEN International, ARTICLE 19, and 66 organizations are deeply… More
TURKEY: Sajjad Jahan Fard’s trial date set for April 20, 2017
PEN is concerned by the arrest and continued detention of Kurdish Iranian writer and journalist Sajjad Jahan Fard and of his friend Hassan Baladeh, who remain in pre-trial detention… More
TURKEY: Kurdish Iranian Writer and Friend Held On Terror Charges
PEN is concerned at the arrest and detention of Kurdish Iranian writer and journalist Sajjad Jahan Fard, and that of his friend Hassan Baladeh, who were charged on January… More
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PEN America On 
"Like most Americans, you might believe books have a settled status in our culture—that even if they contain sexual material, they’re protected by the #FirstAmendment," writes @dankois.
Now, Republicans in VA are asking a judge to change US obscenity law. https://slate.com/culture/2022/08/book-banning-republicans-gender-queer-obscenity-supreme-court.html
“When we read these books... everyone is in agreement that (they) are very educational and should be allowed in our classrooms,” says Vandegrift High School Banned Book Club co-founder Alyssa Hoy. "They start very tough conversations that need to be had.” https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/how-teens-are-pushing-back-on-book-bans
A teacher in Florida wanted to inspire Black children with pictures of Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Colin Powell and George Washington Carver.
He has resigned because, he alleges, a district employee removed the pictures as "age inappropriate."
https://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/escambia-county/2022/08/10/escambia-county-florida-teacher-said-pictures-black-american-leaders-removed-his-class/10276112002
