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PEN America Honors Salman Rushdie with Centenary Courage Award at Literary Gala; Author’s First Public Appearance Since Being Wounded in Knife Attack Nine Months Ago

Press ReleaseMay 18, 2023

It was an emotional return to the stage for Salman Rushdie, who for decades has been a tireless defender of persecuted writers and the freedom to write while himself… More

PEN America’s Literary Gala May 18 to Honor Iranian Writer and Human Rights Defender Narges Mohammadi with PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award

Press ReleaseMay 15, 2023

PEN America Chief Executive Officer Suzanne Nossel said: “Narges Mohammadi inspires awe across the world for her unflinching courage and resistance to the Iranian government’s determined campaign to silence… More

Narges Mohammadi: The Iranian Writer Speaking Out From Behind Bars

InterviewMay 15, 2023

By Rachel Powers From a prison on the outskirts of Tehran, Narges Mohammadi interviewed fellow prisoners about the abusive treatment and inhumane conditions they have endured and shared letters to… More

New PEN America Report: Crackdown on Anti-Government Protests in Iran Swells the Number of Jailed Writers

Press ReleaseApril 27, 2023

“Iran’s creative community—long at the forefront of fighting for free expression and human rights—was singled out as part of a broader crackdown on dissent in 2022,” said Karin Deutsch… More

As Threats Escalate Against Narges Mohammadi, PEN America Calls For Her Immediate Release from Iranian Prison

Press ReleaseJune 9, 2022

“Mohammadi’s life was already at serious risk in Qarchak prison, due to the prison authorities’ dismissive, even malicious treatment of her fragile health,” said Karin Deutsch Karlekar, director of… More

narges mohammadi headshot

PEN America Demands Iran Release Writer and Human Rights Defender Narges Mohammadi

Press ReleaseNovember 17, 2021

“Narges Mohammadi has been a stalwart defender of free expression in Iran for more than a decade. This latest arrest and immediate detention in solitary confinement is a gross… More

Full crowd seated at United Nations opening of 63rd session of Commission on Status of Women

Communication to the UN Commission on the Status of Women on the Persecution of Iranian Women’s Rights Defenders

AdvocacyJuly 21, 2021

We joined Iranian human rights organizations to alert the UN CSW to the persecution and prosecution of women human rights defenders in Iran. More

Participants at CSW62 in 2018

Statement by PEN to the 65th UN Commission on the Status of Women

AdvocacyOctober 22, 2020

PEN is concerned about women facing harsh consequences for their expression to advance women’s rights, equality, and full participation in civic life. More

Narges Mohammadi talking to someone wearing a hijab

PEN America Heartened at Release of Narges Mohammadi

Press ReleaseOctober 9, 2020

“We are deeply heartened to be celebrating Narges Mohammadi’s freedom from prison today after more than five years behind bars." More

Narges Mohammadi talking to someone wearing a hijab

Iran Must Release Activist Suspected of Having Coronavirus

Press ReleaseJuly 16, 2020

“The continued imprisonment of Narges Mohammadi despite her deteriorating health is cruel and life-threatening." More

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  • What's New
PEN America Decries Continued Imprisonment of Poet Galal El-Behairy, Who is Prepared to Escalate his Hunger Strike by Refusing Water
PEN America Defends as Protected Speech a City University of New York Law Student’s Commencement Criticism of Israel and New York Police
Unsealed: An Open Letter from No More Victims Road
Uprooting the Lie

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