Celebrating Reza Khandan Mahabadi’s Release From Prison in Iran, PEN America Calls for Release of Other Iranian Writers Wrongly Jailed
Reza Khandan Mahabadi is a leading member of the Iranian Writers Association (IWA), prolific author and researcher, who was given a six-year prison term in 2019 and has been… More
PEN America Calls for Release of Imprisoned Iranian Writers and Artists as Anti-Government Protests Land Dissident Voices in Jail
“This case, emblematic of a broader crackdown on the IWA–which has consistently championed the essential right to free expression for all Iranians–is among the most egregious of the Islamic… More
2021 Freedom to Write Honoree Keyvan Bajan Is Released from Prison in Iran After Nearly One And a Half Years
Iran is among the world’s most restrictive countries for freedom of expression. In 2020, PEN America found that Iran imprisoned the fourth-highest number of writers and public intellectuals in… More
Baktash Abtin, Keyvan Bajan, Reza Khandan Mahabadi | Status: Released | Iran
Baktash Abtin, Kevyan Bajan, and Reza Khandan Mahabadi are three celebrated writers, free expression advocates, and board members of the Iranian Writers’ Association (IWA), who were sentenced to a… 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
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
On Day Against Censorship, PEN America and PEN Sydney Call on Iran to 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
The PEN Pod: On Writer-to-Writer Solidarity and the Rise of Book Bans with Suzanne Nossel
“For us, at PEN, doing a lot of work on press freedom issues. . . it’s a reminder of what we’re fighting for.” More
Tell Iran to Release Baktash Abtin, Keyvan Bajan, and Reza Khandan Mahabadi
Join PEN America in calling on Iran to release Baktash Abtin, Keyvan Bajan, and Reza Khandan Mahabadi, honorees of the 2021 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award. More