PEN America Statement on the Death of Reza Baraheni: A Legacy of “Courage and Defiance”
PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel said: "The international writing community has lost a giant of free expression and human rights with the death of former PEN Canada president, author,… More
Rights Groups to Iran: Drop charges against human rights activist Hossein Ronaghi
PEN America joins human rights groups in calling on Iranian authorities to drop charges against writer-activist Hossein Ronaghi. More
RIGHTS GROUPS APPEAL TO UN FOR RELEASE OF JAILED IRANIAN WRITERS
The Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights (RWCHR) and PEN America filed a complaint with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to hold Iran accountable for a pattern… More
PEN America Celebrates Release of Aras Amiri
PEN America celebrated the acquittal and release of Iranian art curator Aras Amiri, who was serving a 10-year sentence after being arrested during a visit to Iran in 2018… More
PEN America, Joined by PEN Sydney and PEN Melbourne, Mourns Baktash Abtin’s Death in Solidarity with the Iranian Writers’ Association and Abtin’s Family
Following the devastating death of prominent Iranian poet, filmmaker, free expression advocate, and 2021 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write honoree Baktash Abtin in state custody from COVID-19 contracted at Tehran’s… More
PEN America Mourns “Utterly Preventable Death” of Baktash Abtin
(New York, NY) — Imprisoned Iranian poet, filmmaker, and recipient of the 2021 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award Baktash Abtin died in a Tehran hospital, succumbing to COVID-19. “Our worst… More
Iran Must Release those Unjustly Detained and Not Deny Medical Care to Prisoners, Says Coalition of Organizations led by PEN America
Today PEN America and eighteen other prominent human rights organizations sent a letter to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, calling for the immediate and unconditional release of… More
Open Letter to Supreme Leader of Iran on Baktash Abtin
PEN America and its allies call on the Supreme Leader of Iran to urgently release filmmaker and poet Baktash Abtin and all unjustly detained for their writing or expression. More
PEN America Demands Release of Baktash Abtin
After contracting COVID-19 in prison for a second time, 2021 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write honoree Baktash Abtin is now in a medically-induced coma. More
After COVID-19 Infection, PEN America Demands Iran Release Imprisoned Writers
The literary and free expression groups PEN America and PEN Sydney issued an urgent call today for the immediate release of four Iranian writers being unjustly held in detention. More