(New York, NY) – The Trump Administration’s executive order gutting the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) leaves writers and journalists at risk around the world, PEN America said today.
PEN America is especially concerned about the journalists and writers working with now-shuttered outlets who were already in prison because of their work, and who have now been left stranded without external support.
“This decision sends a chilling message to those already behind bars for their writing—that they have been forsaken,” said Liesl Gerntholtz, managing director of the PEN/Barbey Freedom To Write Center at PEN America. “Through outlets like Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, journalists operating under some of the world’s most repressive regimes risked everything to share independent perspectives. Now, the U.S. government has abandoned those writers by illegally shutting down the U.S. Agency for Global Media.”
Writers and journalists who worked with USAGM affiliates are frequently targeted by authorities in highly censored or dangerous countries, including Ukraine, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Many have been imprisoned, sometimes for years, and are now in even more danger because they have lost organizational support in the fight for their release.
It is vital that Congress protect USAGM, ensure the safety of its affiliate journalists, and reaffirm the U.S. government’s commitment to a free and independent media at home and abroad.
“Writers have a unique power to hold authority to account, and often pay a steep price for doing so,” said Gerntholtz. “Silencing these platforms doesn’t just cut off a vital source of truth—it betrays the very writers we relied on to expose corruption and abuse.”
For more than 80 years, USAGM, an independent agency funded by the U.S. government, broadcast news and information through six news outlets and played a vital role in reaching audiences living under authoritarian governments. Reaching nearly half a billion people across the globe, the USAGM has empowered free expression in some of the world’s most dangerous environments for reporting and writing.
“In the past five years, hundreds of writers worldwide have been jailed each year, and the number continues to climb,” said Karin Karlekar, director of writers at risk at PEN America. “Many of those imprisoned have contributed to USAGM outlets. This shutdown doesn’t just silence these essential platforms for independent journalism—it abandons those writers languishing behind bars, cutting off a critical lifeline of solidarity when they need it most.”
According to PEN America’s latest Freedom To Write Index, at least 339 writers from 33 countries were jailed in 2023.
Writers at Risk
The following writers and journalists have been jailed for several years, taking risks to write and contribute to USAGM outlets including Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. They are just a few of the writers being placed in even greater danger by the shuttering of USAGM.
Vladyslav Yesypenko imprisoned in Russian-occupied Crimea. A freelance journalist for the Crimean service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Yesypenko’s journalism focused on life under Russian occupation. His wife, Kateryna Yesypenko, says Vladyslav wanted to tell the stories that do not ordinarily make the headlines. “To him,” she said, “that is the only way for the world to understand what has been happening in Crimea under Russian occupation.” Days before his arrest, Yesypenko was collecting footage for a video on how Crimean residents’ lives had changed since 2014. He was arrested by the Russian Federal Security Services (FSB) after reporting on an event honoring Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko in March 2021. FSB agents reportedly tortured him and forced him to confess.In February 2022, he was sentenced to six years in prison and a fine on retaliatory “weapons” charges. In 2022, PEN America conferred the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award on Yesypenko.
Sithu Aung Myint imprisoned in Myanmar. Sithu Aung Myint is a contributor to Voice of America and columnist for Frontier Myanmar and one of the dozens of writers, journalists, and cultural figures arrested in the crackdown following the February 2021 military coup. The military junta opened a case against him in April 2021, then arrested him in August. Speaking to VOA Burmese, his lawyer said Sithu Aung Myint “was simply writing analytical articles about the situation of the country as it develops.” Since his initial arrest, Sithu Aung Myint has been convicted multiple times. Between October and December 2022, he received three sentences on subversion, incitement, and false news charges totaling 12 years in prison. He still faces additional charges.
Nguyen Lan Thang imprisoned in Vietnam. Since at least 2013, Nguyen Lan Thang has been writing commentary on history, philosophy, and current events in Vietnam and around the world for his blog on Radio Free Asia and his Facebook page that has more than 150,000 followers. In July 2022, Thang was arrested on his way to a coffee shop and taken into custody on charges of spreading “anti-state propaganda.” Two days before his sentencing, Thang’s parents highlighted his dedication to speaking out in a letter to the court, writing: “Born into a well-known intellectual family, Lan Thang had no shortage of opportunities to live a leisurely and easy life…But when witnessing injustices and suppression, our son did not choose to close his eyes and stay silent.” On April 12, 2023, he was sentenced to six years in prison.
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.