The PEN Pod: On Crackdowns in Crimea with Emine Dzheppar
“What makes me really motivated and encouraged to keep on doing what I do at the moment. . . is people. Those brave ones, those courageous ones.” More
Russian Filmmaker Barred From Leaving Country to Attend Film Festival
Russian authorities have banned acclaimed director Kirill Serebrennikov from leaving the country, meaning he will be unable to attend the debut of his Palme d’Or-nominated film Petrov’s Flu at… More
The PEN Pod: The Russian Key with Jeri Laber
“The human rights movement now is facing more problems than ever, and it’s more necessary than ever before. We have serious human rights problems in the United States.” More
The PEN Pod: On the Arrest of Raman Pratasevich and Free Speech on Social Media
“This disturbing trend of reaching across borders to nab people that regimes see as a threat. . . [is] a new demonstration of how far these governments are willing… More
Forced Landing of Jet in Belarus Constitutes Grave Threat to Journalists and Writers Worldwide
PEN America and its network of allies around the world are issuing a call for Raman Pratsevich's immediate release—and for the international community to take action against the grave… More
Russian Artist Declares Hunger Strike to Protest Closed-Door Trial
Russian feminist artist and LGBTQIA+ activist Yulia Tsvetkova announced a hunger strike earlier this week to demand that her trial, which began last month, be opened to the public.… More
Russian Government Slaps Independent Media Outlet With “Foreign Agent” Label
Russia's government took the drastic step of designating the privatey-owned media outlet Meduza as a "foreign agent" late last week. More
Trial of Russian Artist Charged With “Disseminating Pornography” Begins
A Russian feminist artist and LGBTQIA+ activist is being tried this week on charges of disseminating pornography for her artwork that depicts nude bodies. More
PEN America Alarmed by Raid on Russian Student Publication
PEN America is deeply worried by reports of a raid on the offices of Doxa, a student-run journal based in Moscow, and on the residences of its staff that… More
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PEN America has joined @POMED, @hrw, and other human rights groups in calling for the Biden administration to investigate Egypt's role in the murder of Saudi journalist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi. See our statement here: https://bit.ly/3vSegh6.
Join PEN America, the Project on Middle East Democracy (@POMED), and members of Turkey’s cultural, artistic, and literary communities in discussion of these trends and recommendations on how policymakers might respond to Erdoğan’s campaign of repression. https://pen.org/event/cracking-down-on-creative-voices-turkey/
