Free Speech Gets a Boost in India, but Hurdles Remain
In general, the March 24 ruling should be considered a victory. But this victory remains marred by the fact that limits on content are obscured due to an ongoing… More
PEN Opposes Re-authorization of Patriot Act Surveillance Programs without Reform
PEN strongly opposes Senator Mitch McConnell's effort to summarily reauthorize the Patriot Act's provisions on mass surveillance in their current form without any debate. More
Espionage Charges Against Jason Rezaian Reflect Iran’s Persistent Disregard for Press Freedom
PEN strenuously denounced the fraudulent charges lodged against Washington Post Bureau Chief Jason Rezaian by the Iranian government and calls for his immediate release. More
Open Letter to Michael Lynton, Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman and CEO re: The Interview
If the decision to pull The Interview from all platforms stands, it will represent a lasting blow for free expression, emboldening would-be censors the world over. Impoverishing creative freedom,… More
Remembering Saïd Mekbel, Twenty Years On
Today marks the 20th anniversary of the death of Algerian journalist Saïd Mekbel. The morning of his assassination, Mekbel had with seeming prescience written a poetic and polemical last… More
Free Expression in China Drowning Under Waves of Writer Arrests
PEN American Center is alarmed by a spike in arrests of writers, journalists, and intellectuals in China in recent weeks. According to reports, four prominent intellectuals were arrested on… More
British journalist found guilty of contempt in Bangladesh
PEN American Center joins English PEN and PEN International in expressing concern for British journalist David Bergman, who has been found guilty of contempt in a court in Bangladesh.… More
Editor Raif Badawi to be flogged 1,000 times in Saudi Arabia
Brutal sentence violates the prohibition against torture under international law. More
Foley Murder Highlights Growing Threat
With the loneliness of what is often a solitary journalistic experience, the constant hustle for contacts, and the moments of real danger, the work of those like Foley, who… More
Welcome to Zone 9: Ethiopia
Kality is divided into eight zones. The prisoners found one more zone of their own imagination. They called the rest of the country beyond their compound “zone 9” implying… More