Ten Years’ Imprisonment for Chinese Novelist Writing Gay Sex Scenes an Outrageous Violation of the Freedom to Write
“Ten years’ imprisonment for the ‘crime’ of writing and self-publishing a book that dares to describe homosexual sex is an obvious and unjustifiable infringement on the freedom to write… More
Detention of Southern Mongolian Author is Putting Historical Inquiry on Trial
Summer Lopez: “By arresting Borjigin, the authorities are in fact putting historical inquiry on trial. If prosecutors indeed bring charges against Borjigin, they are showing that they consider historical documentation to… More
President Trump’s Efforts to Halt Publication of Critical Book Flagrantly Unconstitutional
The President should immediately withdraw and repudiate this outrageous demand, allowing the American people to render their own judgement of the book. More
China: Suspension of Feminist Social Media Another Example of “Zero Tolerance”
NEW YORK—The suspension of a feminist group’s social media accounts underscores China’s “zero tolerance” policy for free speech and human rights, said PEN America in a statement today. On February… More
Texas: Whitewashed Textbooks Headed to Classrooms
New social studies textbooks being used in Texas public school classrooms this fall barely address racial segregation—nor do they mention Jim Crow laws throughout American history, or the existence… More
CISA: Spying By Any Other Name
A new cybersecurity bill making its way through Congress could allow government agencies to access large amounts of your private data without due process. More
Joint letter Expresses Concern about Trigger Warnings in College Courses
A joint letter by National Coalition Against Censorship, PEN, and other organizations urges Crafton Hills College not to set a dangerous precedent by adopting a general warning or disclaimer… More
Unjustified Takedown of Facebook Accounts Critical of Russia Threatens Free Expression
Amid an ever-growing trend of Russian internet censorship, PEN American Center is gravely concerned by reports of Facebook’s unwarranted content removal and account deactivation or suspension of Ukrainian and… More
South African Draft Online Regulation Bill Poses Censorship Threat
A new proposed policy to regulate online content in South Africa is poised to return the country to a worrisome state of severely curtailed free expression parallel to the… More
China’s Publishers Court America as Its Authors Scorn Censorship
A few years ago, the Chinese writer Murong Xuecun had the kind of career most novelists dream about. His eight books had sold two million copies in China, and… More