Masha Gessen Sentenced in Absentia to Eight Years in Russian Prison for Ukraine Comments
"Unfortunately, this conviction comes as little surprise given Gessen’s well-established record of bravely speaking out against the suppression of human rights in Russia." More
Moscow Court Sentences Playwright and Director in Ongoing Crackdown on Free Expression
Labeling these artists as terrorists or extremists is a grave injustice. ARC calls for the immediate release of Berkovich and Petriychuk. More
Free Narges Coalition Strongly Condemns Additional Sentence for Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Narges Mohammadi
In response to the news that an Iranian revolutionary court has sentenced jailed 2023 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Narges Mohammadi to an additional one-year prison sentence on charges of… More
Record Number of Writers Jailed Worldwide in 2023
There were 339 writers from 33 countries jailed in 2023, an increase of 62 writers compared to 2022 and 101 more than in 2019. More
Kremlin Crackdown on Foreign and Independent Media Intensifies with New Arrests
As Russia closes itself off from the rest of the world, journalists are risking their lives to report independent news to help people understand what is happening in the… More
ARC Deeply Concerned for Artists’ Rights and Freedom of Expression in Russia
The Russian authorities feel threatened by artists because it intuitively understands the power they have to mobilize citizens and inspire them to dream of better, more equitable futures based… More
PEN America Condemns Unjust Jailing of Memorial Co-Chair for Article Criticizing Russia’s Military
Prominent human rights defender Oleg Orlov, co-chair of Memorial, the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate found guilty on charges of “repeatedly discrediting” the Russian military and sentenced to 2.5… More
PEN America Speaks: How We Defended and Celebrated Free Expression The Week of January 29
PEN America works tirelessly to defend free expression, support persecuted writers, and promote literary culture. Here are some of the latest ways PEN America is speaking out. More
Russia Places Best-Selling Novelist Boris Akunin on its Wanted List
(NEW YORK) -- PEN America condemns the Russian government for placing London-based Grigory Chkhartishvili, better known under his pen name Boris Akunin, on its wanted list for alleged criminal… More
PEN America Publishes Safety Guide for Russian-Speaking Artists at Risk
PEN America’s Artists at Risk Connection's (ARC) highly anticipated Russian translation of its Artists Safety Guide launched today. More