Sochi Highlights Need for Olympic Reforms
PEN American Center last week joined over 33 human rights groups in an joint letter to the IOC president, Thomas Bach, recommending that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) carry… More
Optimism in Check, Nihilism at Bay
With the Olympics now underway in Sochi, the world is forced to view a country where the freedoms of its citizens have undergone abrupt and tragic erosions in the… More
Open Season on Russian Gays and Lesbians
These are just a few examples, but they illustrate the point: the purpose of this law isn’t just to shove LGBT people back in the closet, it’s also meant… More
Steamrolling Onto the World Stage
In two weeks’ time, the Olympic games will be over, athletes and foreign guests will depart, and Olympic kitsch will proliferate in many homes in the form of tchotchkes… More
Putin, Ventriloquism, and Free Speech
The Russian government has gotten back into the story business. This is bad news for people who like to tell stories of their own, but good news for people… More
Atwood, Rushdie, Soyinka Join PEN to Protest Russia’s Stranglehold on Free Speech
As all eyes turn to Russia for the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games at Sochi tomorrow, more than 200 writers from across the globe have joined PEN in… More
Salman Rushdie leads protest against Russian ‘choke hold’ on free speech
On the eve of the Sochi winter Olympics, as the eyes of the world turn towards Russia, an assembly of more than 200 leading international authors - including Salman… More
Sochi Winter Olympics Campaign: Out in the Cold
In the weeks leading up to the Sochi Winter Olympic Games (February 7-23), PEN will be protesting the draconian restrictions placed on free expression in Russia since President Vladimir… More