Read Oleg Sentsov’s Acceptance Letter from the Solidarity of Arts Festival
"It's easy to be a revolutionary when revolution has already won. And much more difficult when the oppressor is still strong and the chances to win are small." More
He Is Not Forgotten: Celebrating Oleg Sentsov’s Birthday, His Sixth in Captivity
PEN America congratulates Oleg Sentsov on his 43rd birthday, which serves as a reminder to the world not to forget him in his plight. More
2019 Literary Gala: Presentation of the 2019 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award
Watch the presentation of the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award at the 2019 PEN America Literary Gala & Free Expression Awards. More
Nasrin Sotoudeh | Status: In Prison | 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
Ukrainian Filmmaker Oleg Sentsov Marks Five Years in Russian Prison
On this fifth anniversary of Oleg Sentsov's unjust detention, PEN America continues to call for his immediate and unconditional release. More
Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo | Status: Released | Myanmar
Prosecutors have charged the journalists with obtaining important and secret state documents relating to the crisis in Rakhine State, from which some 680,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled since August… More
The PEN Ten Interview: Ahmed Naji on Language, Identity, and Writing in Exile
"I don't want to be sad, or a prisoner of my own nostalgia. It's an excellent opportunity to be here, and I am thirsty. I want to learn everything,… More
Liu Jingsheng | Status: Released | China
Liu Jingsheng is a peaceful opposition activist and a former co-editor of Tansuo (Explorations), a journal he founded in the late 1970s along with Wei Jingsheng. More
DARE: 3 Saudi Women Activists Receive PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award
PEN America announces 2019 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award honorees: Saudi Writer-Activists and Women's Rights Champions Nouf Abdulaziz, Loujain... More
38-Year Sentence for Iranian Writer and Human Rights Lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh Defies All Reason
“This astonishingly harsh sentence for Nasrin Sotoudeh defies all reason. After months of detention and a frustratingly opaque legal process, the decision to condemn Nasrin to decades behind bars for her… More
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In a new report by @CIVICUSMonitor, Australia has been downgraded from an “open” country to one where civil space has “narrowed”: https://bit.ly/2E4DO20
In Cambodia, a non-governmental media organization that helped Cambodians to access non-government-controlled information has become a glimmer of hope in an otherwise bruising environment for independent media: https://bit.ly/36hYcJd via @VOANews.
Lebanese journalists are facing threats and wide-ranging harassment in their work while reporting on nearly 50 days of anti-government protests: https://bit.ly/2P5AQ3M via @AssociatedPress.