Coalition Calls for COVID-19 Relief for Arts and Literary Sectors
There is a specific and substantial contribution to economic recovery that can come from sustaining literary, arts and cultural organizations across the country. More
Egyptian Institutions Ban Mahraganat Genre of Music and Threaten Legal Action Against Artists and Listeners
“New genres of music so often emerge as the voice of those who feel they have been neglected or left behind, and whose voices might otherwise not be heard… More
Shortlisted for an Oscar, Syrian Filmmaker Denied U.S. Travel Visa
“The denial of Fayyad’s visa shows how the travel ban continues to disrupt and prevent the free flow of artists and ideas across borders, in the process undermining a… More
Reports: Group of Artists Traveling to U.S. to Attend Their Own Exhibition Face Visa Delays
“The travel ban remains a troubling cornerstone of the current administration, with news like this highlighting ways the government limits cultural and intellectual exchange at the expense of democracy." More
Cameroonian Rapper Valsero Released After Nearly Nine Months of Detention
We are overjoyed that Valsero is finally free to reunite with his family and make music in peace. More
PEN America to Monitor Trial of Unjustly Incarcerated Cameroonian Rapper
PEN America has called his persecution an “inexcusable violation of artistic freedom of expression,” and says the charges must be dropped immediately. More
PEN America Says Arrest of Cuban Artists Part of an Ongoing Campaign of Harassment
“The arrest of Nancy Alfaya and continual harassment she and her husband Jorge Olivera Castillo have experienced are part of a deeply disturbing trend of silencing independent artists and… More
Charges Must be Dropped Against Two Zimbabwean Filmmakers and Two Other Artists For Film Screening
“The Zimbabwean authorities’ targeting of filmmakers and culture professionals is an alarming attack on artistic freedom,” said Julie Trébault, Director of the Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) at PEN… More
PEN America Calls for Reversal of Prison Sentences Imposed on Turkish Filmmakers Ertuğrul Mavioğlu and Çayan Demirel for Documentary Bakur
“Criminalizing Ertuğrul Mavioğlu and Çayan Demirel’s work is a serious blow for artistic freedom of expression in Turkey. Artists must have the freedom to explore any subject matter, regardless… More
Miami City Commission’s Ending “One-Way Cultural Exchange” with Cuba an Absurd Approach to Protesting Artistic Repression
Restricting cultural exchange and artistic expression is an absurd way to address the repressive environment for artistic freedom in Cuba. The Miami City Commission is right to be outraged… More
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