Iran’s Abusive Internet Shutdown Illustrates Dangers of ‘National Internet’
“The Iranian government’s decision to impose a nationwide blackout on global Internet access in order to suppress news of anti-government protests is deeply abusive, completely unjustifiable, and clearly self-serving." More
Exiled Iranian Dissident and Journalist Lured Back to Iran, Detained
“The reported detention of Rouhollah Zam is another case of the Iranian government silencing and punishing any form of dissent, as reflected by the widespread recent crackdown on journalists,… More
Nasrin Sotoudeh | Status: In Prison | Iran
Nasrin Sotoudeh, a prominent writer, human rights lawyer and activist, was abruptly re-arrested on June 13, 2018, and taken to Evin prison. Her arrest came shortly after her legal… More
Conviction of Writer and Human Rights Lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh a Grave Miscarriage of Justice
"After months of detention, the news announcing Nasrin Sotoudeh’s conviction on a range of national security charges and the possibility of a decades-long prison sentence is a cruel blow." More
Re-arrest and Detention of Nasrin Sotoudeh a Vindictive Attempt to Silence Human Rights Activism
“The arrest and conviction of Nasrin Sotoudeh is indicative of the draconian measures the Iranian government will take to silence critical voices.” More
Iran: Journalist Narges Mohammadi due to stand trial on April 20
PEN calls on the Iranian authorities to release journalist Narges Mohammadi immediately and unconditionally. More
Atena Farghadani | Status: Released | Iran
Atena Farghadani is an Iranian artist and political activist. She was first arrested in August 2014 for a cartoon she drew lampooning a family planning law, which depicted lawmakers… More
Iran: Upcoming appeal of prominent Kurdish filmmaker Keywan Karimi
PEN calls on Iranian authorities to accept filmmaker Keyvan Karimi's appeal and overturn his conviction and sentence of six years' imprisonment and 223 lashes. More
Iran: Poets’ Sentencing Signals New Low
Iranian poets Fatemeh Ekhtesari and Mehdi Musavi have been sentenced to 11. 5 and 9 years in prison, respectively, and 99 lashes each in what PEN American Center today… More
Rights Advocates in Iran Imprisoned in Clampdown on Social Media
Journalist and blogger Marzieh Rasouli has been imprisoned for two years for collaborating with the BBC. Meanwhile, Ghoncheh Ghavami has been detained without a lawyer for pressing for the… More
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a joy to serve as one of the @PENamerica judges this year, along with @TereseMarieM & @davidulin https://pen.org/meet-the-2020-literary-awards-judges
Allowing law enforcement to commit “authorized privacy violations” will ensure investigations are not hindered, a senior government official told @Reuters on Wednesday, amid worries that India’s new privacy law will increase state surveillance: https://bit.ly/38uiSQd.
A group of artists have presented the president of Kyrgyzstan with an open letter decrying the censorship of an exhibition at the Kyrgyz National Museum of Fine Arts and calling for the resignation of the minister of culture: https://bit.ly/38udLiO via @TheArtNewspaper.