Press Releases
PEN America experts are available for interviews with the press. Please direct inquiries to Suzanne Trimel, Senior Advisor, Communications and Media, at [email protected].
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Iran Bans Print Media in Response to COVID-19
(New York, NY) – In response to an Iranian coronavirus task force's wholesale ban on print media, Summer Lopez, PEN America's senior director of free expression programs, issued the following… More
Turkmenistan Discouraging Use of Word Coronavirus
UPDATE: This original statement was based on an erroneous article and misrepresented the scope of the government's censorship. It has been edited to reflect more recent information. PEN America… More
Doctors and Journalists Who Critique Officials Shouldn’t Be Punished
"This pandemic is bad enough without being compounded by a resort to punitive tactics aimed to suppress vital information." More
Trump Threat to Pull TV Licenses Over Coronavirus Ad “Violation of First Amendment”
Silencing critics is clearly a knee-jerk reaction for the president. He has a long history of trying to exploit the legal system to scare his supposed adversaries. More
Prison Sentence for Uyghur Singer Part of China’s Efforts to Eradicate Uyghur Culture
Rashida has become one more victim in Chinese authorities’ efforts to systematically silence prominent Uyghur voices. More
China Moves to Charge Imprisoned Australian Novelist With Espionage
PEN America speaks out against the ongoing confinement, abuse, and now pending indictment against Australian writer Yang Hengjun. More
Turkey Charges Saudi Men Accused of Murdering Washington Post Journalist
This action by Turkish prosecutors is a welcome step forward in the effort to find justice for Jamal Khashoggi and his family. More
Thai Artist Arrested for Posting About Country’s Coronavirus Screening
The arrest of Danai Ussama sets an alarming precedent for the muzzling of speech in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. More
Landmark First Amendment Lawsuit Against President Trump Will Proceed
Today a federal court ruled against President Trump in a lawsuit that claims he has used government power to retaliate against media coverage and reporters. More
Conservative Activist Encourages Students to Record College Professors
"This is shockingly wrongheaded. While professors are struggling to facilitate meaningful learning experiences for their students, Kirk is encouraging ‘gotcha’ videos to report on them." More
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