PEN America Calls for the Immediate Release of Vietnamese Human Rights Defender Pham Doan Trang, and Raises Grave Concerns For Her Health
“The unjust imprisonment of Pham Doan Trang on the arbitrary charge of anti-state propaganda is, unfortunately, another example of the Vietnamese government’s persecution of journalists and human rights defenders… More
Grave Concern for Poet Zhang Guiqi, Sentenced to Six Years in Prison, for Calling on Xi Jinping to Step Down
PEN America and the Independent Chinese PEN Centre condemn the conviction of poet Zhang Guiqi and calls for his immediate release. More
PEN America Condemns “Grotesque” Sentencing of Saudi Student to 34 Years in Prison for Her Tweets
PEN America condemns the imprisonment of Salma Al-Shehab, who was sentenced to 34 years in prison for her Twitter activity. More
Letter to President Droupadi Murmu on India’s 75th Anniversary of Independence
On India’s 75th anniversary of independence, writers and creatives urge Indian President Droupadi Murmu to defend free expression in India. More
PEN America, with 102 International Writers and Artists, Calls for India to Uphold the Freedom to Write Ahead of 75th Independence Day Celebration
Over 100 writers and artists joined PEN America and PEN International in urging Indian President Droupadi Murmu to defend free expression in India. More
Executions of Pro-Demcracy Activists in Myanmar Raise Fears of Escalation of Military Campaign of Terror Against Civilians
The U.S. Government Must Apply Pressure to Stop the Junta from Further Abuses By Liesl Gerntholtz and Nadine Farid Johnson The shattering news that four democracy activists were secretly executed at… More
Two Years After the Rigged Belarus Election, the United States Can Do More to Call Out Aleksandr Lukashenka’s Abuses
By Polina Sadovskaya The fraudulent election of Aleksandr Lukashenka as president of Belarus on August 9, 2020 surprised no one. Everyone expected him to ‘win,’ but very few wanted him… More
In Letter to President Biden, 44 Noted Writers Urge Him to Raise Human Rights Abuses Directly with the Crown Prince As He Travels to Saudi Arabia
44 writers and journalists joined PEN America in urging President Biden to raise his Administration’s concerns about the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia during his conversations with Crown… More
Letter Signed by 44 Writers Calls On President Biden to Raise Grave Human Rights Concerns on Trip to Saudi Arabia
President Joseph Biden The White House Washington, DC July 5, 2022 Dear President Biden, We the undersigned writers, journalists, creative artists, and supporters of PEN America, are writing to urge you to raise your… More
New-York Historical Society Presents PEN America at 100: A Century of Defending the Written Word, Opening July 22
PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel, said, “PEN America at 100 opens a remarkable window into PEN America’s century-long effort to unite writers in defense of the freedoms that underwrite… More