Oleg Sentsov | Status: Released | Russia
Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian film director, was sentenced to 20 years in a Russian prison on charges of terrorism on August 25, 2015. PEN believes that the charges stem… More
Roman Sushchenko | Status: Released | Russia
Roman Sushchenko, a Ukrainian journalist, was detained in Moscow on September 30, 2016, on charges of espionage, and has since been detained in Lefortovo Prison. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB)… More
PEN America: Release of Blogger in Mauritania “Long-Overdue Victory”
“The conviction and lengthy imprisonment of Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mkhaitir was unjust from the very start and it is promising to see that the outgoing government made the decision… More
Iran: Serious concern for health of imprisoned journalist Narges Mohammadi
Prominent journalist and human rights defender Narges Mohammadi is currently serving a six-year prison sentence for her human rights activities in Evin prison, where she has developed a serious… More
Bahrain’s Threat to Crack Down on Social Media Users Would Violate Free Expression, Says PEN America
“Punishing people for reading statements and commentary the government doesn’t like is a clear violation of fundamental freedoms of expression and an unwarranted restriction on access to information,” said… More
Egyptian Blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah’s Release Requirements Compromise the Freedom He Deserves
"Alaa Abd El Fattah's release from prison is cause for celebration, but we must not forget that he never should have spent a moment in jail for engaging in… More
Writer, Activist, and 2019 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award Honoree Eman Al-Nafjan’s Release a Ray of Hope for Justice
"The PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award has for decades been a powerful tool to pry free courageous writers who take the greatest risks in order to express themselves. While… More
DARE: On Amazon, a QAnon Conspiracy Book Climbs the Charts—with an Algorithmic Push
Amazon's algorithms push “QAnon: An Invitation to the Great Awakening,” a book supportive of the QAnon conspiracy to the top of its best seller list. More
Mahmoud Abou Zeid (Shawkan) | Status: Conditional Release | Egypt
Shawkan is a journalist and photographer who often depicts daily cultural life and produces street portraits. He is a contributor to publications such as Time Magazine, Die Zeit, BILD,… More