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].
At a time of unprecedented attacks against the free press, PEN America Members are taking action. Join us today.
Detention and Harassment of Cuban Artists During the Havana Biennial is Part and Parcel of Efforts to Stamp Out Artistic Freedom
“While the art world is gathering at the XIII Havana Biennial, the repression against Cuban artists who are critical of this restrictive new measure exposes the Cuban Ministry of… More
Closed-Door Trial of Mongolian Historian Lhamjab Borjigin a “Continued Attack on Historical Inquiry”
“Lhamjab Borjigin may be the one standing before the court, but it is clearly his research and historical writings that the authorities are seeking to put on trial." More
United States Government Must Explain Decision to Deny Entry to Activist and Author Omar Barghouti
“Preventing Mr. Barghouti from traveling denies Americans the opportunity to hear, engage with, and challenge his views as they see fit. Denying him entry based on his political views… More
Department of Justice Seeks Dismissal of PEN America v. Trump
"We look forward to filing our response to the government’s motion and continuing to defend the free expression rights of our Members." More
PEN America Announces the Full Lineup for PEN World Voices Festival 2019
PEN America today announces the full lineup of events for the 2019 PEN World Voices Festival: Open Secrets (May 6-12), focusing on the dissolving boundary between the public and… More
Save the Internet Act, Passed in U.S. House of Representatives, Critical to Defending Net Neutrality
After the FCC's 2017 repeal of net neutrality regulation, guarantees of equal online access are no longer to be taken for granted; these freedoms must be fought for and… More
Free Expression Groups Urge the House of Representatives to Reinstate Net Neutrality Protections
"Without these protections, free expression online is vulnerable to slowdown and suppression, which adversely affects freelance content creators such as artists, writers, and film-makers, and many others. Our coalition… More
Detention of Writers and Bloggers in Saudi Arabia Latest Development in Crackdown on Dissent
"The ray of hope following the temporary release of three women’s rights activists on March 28, including 2019 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award honoree Eman al-Nafjan, has been quickly… More
Washington State’s Decision to Ban Book Donations to Prisons Misguided and Harmful
"Literature offers a way for people in prison to expand their minds, to retain a sense of connection to the outside community, to pass the time, and to continue… More
Georgia House Bill On “Journalism Ethics Board” Raises Serious First Amendment Concerns
"This proposal flies in the face of the most basic freedoms laid out in our Constitution, and pre-filing the bill right before the close of one legislative session and… More