French Surveillance Bill Threatens Free Expression, Privacy
New counter-terrorism legislation passed by the lower house of the French Parliament today would dramatically expand the government’s surveillance powers and directly conflicts with France’s international legal commitments to… More
Honduras: two more journalists killed ahead of UN human rights review
The murder of two more journalists in Honduras within 24 hours highlights the government’s failure to stem the ongoing wave of violence against the Honduran media, days before the… More
Combating the Multiplying Challenges to the Right of Free Expression
Journalists—traditional targets of authoritarian governments who want to limit their watchdog role—are being killed in record numbers. At least 61 were murdered in 2014 alone. More
Russian Censorship Sweeps Maus Off Shelves, Chills Expression
Moscow bookstores' decision to pull Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel Maus from shelves over concern about 'fascist symbols' is a clear example of the chilling effect of sweeping government censorship,… More
PEN outraged by targeted murder of Pakistani rights activist
The murder of Sabeen Mahmud, director of bookstore and community space The Second Floor (T2F), today in Karachi showcases the heinous fear tactics used to quash dissent in Pakistan,… More
Angola Must End its Persecution of Investigative Journalist
PEN calls on Angolan authorities to drop criminal defamation charges against leading journalist and anti-corruption activist Rafael Marques de Morais and cease its ongoing efforts to stifle freedom of… 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
PEN welcomes Twitter’s new policies to combat abusive speech online
PEN American Center welcomes today’s announcement by Twitter that it is updating its policies to better address the complex challenge of abusive and harassing speech online, while simultaneously reaffirming… More
The Invisible Wall
Karl Ove Knausgård delivered this year's keynote address at the 14th Oxfam Novib/ PEN-International Awards for Freedom of Expression, in which he championed courageous writers from around the world… More
Sabotaging Free Speech in Italy
In Paris and throughout France, millions took to the street last Sunday in support of freedom of expression. And yet, in Italy, at the end of this month, one… More