Liu Xiaobo: Sentenced Six Years Ago Today
December 25 marks six years since poet, writer, and political activist Liu Xiaobo was sentenced to 11 years in prison in China "for allegedly inciting subversion of state power." More
ICPC Member Jiao Guobiao Prevented from Attending PEN International Congress
On Friday, September 7, we received news from our Independent Chinese PEN Center colleagues that Dr. Jiao Guobiao, an ICPC member based in Beijing, was put under house arrest… More
China Advocacy: Subversive Poetry, Prison, and Exile
All across the world, we at PEN have noticed a trend against freedom of expression: the number of journalists targeted for persecution is on the rise while the number… More
Zhou Qing: Punished to Save Them
If satisfying our basic daily needs for food and drink becomes a highly dangerous activity, what hope is left for our society? More
Success and Silence in Today’s China
Last week, a small group of representatives from PEN American Center and PEN International visited Beijing and Hong Kong, hoping to learn more about the situation for writers and… More
Authors report worsening persecution by Beijing
The recent banning of six mainland writers from visiting Hong Kong and the barring of two exiled authors from returning to their homeland shows Beijing's latest wave of control… More
ICPC Celebrates Tenth Anniversary in Shadow of Escalating Repression
As PEN members from around the world gather to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC) today in Hong Kong, a number… More
Beijing Bars Writers From a Literary Celebration
For Chinese authors who join the international writers’ organization PEN, membership would appear to have very few privileges. Many of its members are subjected to frequent harassment; four of… More
Chinese Writers React to Crackdown
The Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC) today released a statement reacting to a wave of arrests of its members in China, including renowned lawyer Teng Biao and Ran Yunfei,… More
PEN American Center Concerned About Increased Pressure on PEN Members in China
Chinese authorities appear to be stepping up pressure on members of the Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC) as part of a campaign to limit information about the awarding of… More