Ali Al-Domaini | Status: Deceased | Saudi Arabia
Ali Al-Domaini is a poet and writer whose publications include three collections of poetry and one novel in Arabic. As a political activist, he has campaigned for a move… More
Vladyslav Yesypenko | Status: Imprisoned | Ukraine
Vladyslav Yesypenko, a freelance journalist for the Krym.Realii project at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was detained in March 2021 by the Russian Federal Security Services (FSB) while reporting in… More
2022 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award Honoree: Vladyslav Yesypenko
Vladyslav Yesypenko is PEN America's 2022 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Honoree for the 2022 Literary Awards. More
2021 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award: Baktash Abtin, Keyvan Bajan, and Reza Khandan Mahabadi
PEN America bestows its 2021 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award on Iranian writers Baktash Abtin, Keyvan Bajan, and Reza Khandan Mahabadi. More
Nasrin Sotoudeh | Status: Conditional Release | Iran
Nasrin Sotoudeh, a prominent writer, human rights lawyer and activist, was abruptly re-arrested on June 13, 2018, and taken to Evin prison. Her arrest came shortly after her legal… More
The PEN Pod: On the Virtual Gala and the Beauty of Human Rights Work with Suzanne Nossel
“There’s something about individual cases of dissidents—these are human stories, faces, and individuals with families and life trajectories. When you can help them, it’s so concrete.” More
Amid Tumultuous Year, PEN America Virtual Gala Celebrates Acts of Courage and Bravery by Those Who Stand Up to Oppression
"I’m heartened to think that this assembly of not always like-minded but always like-hearted writers and thinkers and advocates—that our assembly tonight points to our power.” More
Eskinder Nega | Status: Continued Harassment | Ethiopia
Eskinder Nega, a journalist and dissident blogger who is one of Ethiopia’s leading advocates for press freedom and freedom of expression, served almost 7 years of an 18-year sentence… More
Mamadali Mahmudov | Status: Deceased | Uzbekistan
Mamadali Mahmudov is a renowned Uzbek writer and opposition activist who was released in 2013 after serving a 14-year sentence on charges related to a series of explosions in… More
2020 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award: Xu Zhiyong
PEN America bestows its 2020 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award on detained Chinese essayist and activist Xu Zhiyong. More
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