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
Detailing Severe Human Rights Abuses in Belarus, Leaders Call on the UN Human Rights Council to Extend the Mandate of the Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Belarus
In Taped Reading, Author Margaret Atwood Reads Letter from her Belarusian Translator About the Arrests and Jailing of Writers, Journalists and Publishers By Suzanne Trimel (NEW YORK)-- The severe deterioration of… More
PEN America Condemns Sentencing of Belarusian Philosopher Uladzimir Mackievic to Five Years in a Penal Colony After Closed-Door Hearing
“With each individual detained and incarcerated for their protests against Lukashenka, we see how the situation in Belarus deteriorates and grows more dire,” said Polina Sadovskaya, director of Eurasia… More
China: PEN Centers Call for Xu Zhiyong’s Immediate Release
PEN America, PEN International, and the Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC) call on the Chinese government release Xu Zhiyong. More
Proceeding with Trial of Xu Zhiyong is a “Grave and Shameful” Mistake by China
Xu faces a potential punishment of life in prison if convicted. His lawyer will reportedly plead his innocence of the crimes at trial. Trials involving government critics in China—including… More
Vow to Execute Cultural Figures and Activists Shows Myanmar Junta’s Disdain for Human Rights and Rule of Law
“These excessive sentences and rapid execution schedule, following a farcical closed-door trial by a military tribunal, fly in the face of international legal norms and should be reversed immediately,”… More
As Threats Escalate Against Narges Mohammadi, PEN America Calls For Her Immediate Release from Iranian Prison
“Mohammadi’s life was already at serious risk in Qarchak prison, due to the prison authorities’ dismissive, even malicious treatment of her fragile health,” said Karin Deutsch Karlekar, director of… More