Turkish writers’ group investigated for ‘insulting state’
PEN Turkey accused of breaking law by condemning musician's prosecution as a 'fascist development' More
PEN Turkey Latest Target of Censors
The widening net of censorship in Turkey is now threatening to snare the Turkish PEN Center, with eight members of the organization’s board of directors now facing a criminal… More
Turkish President Says Free Speech Violations Cast Shadow Over Progress
In a meeting today with a delegation from PEN International, President Abdullah Gül expressed his personal commitment to free speech. Responding to PEN's concerns over a rising number of… More
Writer and Lawyer Muharrem Erbey Writes of Two and A Half Years of Detention
Human rights lawyer, writer, and PEN Turkey Member Muharrem Erbey was arrested in December 2009 in the city of Diyarbakır in southeast Turkey, where he was president of the… More
Postcard from Turkey: Criminal Trials of Major Publishers
Sara Whyatt, Deputy Director of PEN International, writes from Turkey:Yesterday at the Çağlayan Courts of Justice, Europe’s largest courthouse, situated in İstanbul, I sat and watched as a judge set… More
Publisher Ragıp Zarakolu and 14 others released pending trial
Turkish publisher and human rights activist Ragip Zarakolu was released, though he still faces lengthy trial and up to 15 years in prison. More
Publisher and PEN Member Ragip Zarakolu Released in Turkey Pending Trial
PEN American Center today welcomed the news that Ragip Zarakolu, one of Turkey’s preeminent free expression champions, was among 15 freed from prison in Turkey pending trial, calling his… More
Turkish Translator and Publisher on Trial: Take Action!
Last year, I reported on the trial of Turkish publisher İrfan Sancı and translator Süha Sertabiboğlu for their January 2011 publication of William S. Burrough’s 1961 novel The Soft… More
Paul Auster Responds to Turkish Prime Minister, Speaks for Jailed Writers
Author and PEN American Center Member Paul Auster issued a statement today addressed to Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan that highlights the cases of Ragip Zarakolu and the scores… More
Turkish PEN’s Ragip Zarakolu Sends Open Letter from Prison
Earlier this week, PEN reported that publisher, writer, rights advocate, and leading Turkish PEN Member Ragip Zarakolu was arrested in a roundup of writers and scholars in Turkey last… More
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