Galal El-Behairy, Imprisoned in Egypt
Galal El-Behairy is an Egyptian poet and songwriter. He was arrested and sentenced to prison for his criticism of the government expressed in his lyrics. More
The PEN Pod: In This Together with M. NourbeSe Philip
“It’s true that we are all in this together, but there’s a sense in which we have not been in this together.” More
Myanmar: Poet and PEN Member Facing Imprisonment for Defaming the Military
PEN is deeply concerned by the ongoing prosecution of poet and PEN member, Saw Wai, who stands accused of defaming the military under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code,… More
PEN America Concerned Over Detained Chinese Poet’s Safety
PEN America is concerned that the continuing lack of publicly available information around the detention of Chinese poet Cui Haoxin, arrested in late January, may enable Chinese authorities to… More
China’s Detention of Muslim Poet is Attempt to Silence Opposition
“While we don’t know what precisely triggered An Ran’s detention this time, it is patently obvious that he is being targeted yet again for his courage in acting as… More
PEN America: China Must Not Intimidate Those Who Honor Imprisoned Publisher
"State officials kidnapped Gui Minhai, forced him into a series of staged confessions, and have held him against his will for years, in a breathtakingly blatant violation of human… More
PEN America Welcomes News of Imprisoned Publisher’s Upcoming Poetry Collection
“We enthusiastically welcome the news of Gui Minhai’s forthcoming book of poetry, which will serve not only as a literary work but also as a reminder that Gui continues… More
Intimidation of Muslim Poet an Effort to Silence Writers’ Engagement on Xinjiang
“An Ran, a poet, is speaking out on one of the most important human rights issues of our day. Instead of attempting to shut him down, authorities should be… More
Three-Year Prison Sentence for Poet Galal El-Behairy is Another Blow for Freedom of Expression in Egypt
“To criminalize poetry and songs is to denigrate the most universal forms of human expression,” said Julie Trébault, PEN America’s Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) Director. More