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.
Strong Condemnation of Russia’s Detention of Journalist Alsu Kurmasheva
(NEW YORK) - PEN America strongly condemns the detention by the Russian government of Alsu Kurmasheva, a Prague-based journalist with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), for failing to register… More
Amid Campus Protests Over Israel-Hamas War, Students Should Not Face Punishment for Speaking Out
PEN America’s senior manager of free expression, Kristen Shahverdian, made the following comments: "Universities have an obligation to protect the free speech rights of their students. It would be… More
Palestinian People and Culture Under Threat from Israel’s Retaliatory Attacks
Also: See Our Oct. 10 Statement (PEN America Deplores 'Vicious Attack' Against Israeli Citizens) (NEW YORK - Published at 3:48 pm ET)— PEN America mourns the devastating loss of civilian… More
Scholastic Urged to Explore Other Options Instead of Limiting or Partitioning Diverse Book Titles At School Book Fairs
Despite the challenges of this climate, we call on Scholastic to explore other solutions so they can reject any role in accommodating these nefarious laws and local pressures, or… More
PEN America Calls on LitProm to Reconsider Postponement of Shibli Award
PEN America condemns a decision by the Frankfurt Book Fair to cancel planned award ceremony in honor of Palestinian writer Adania Shibli. More
Doxxing of Harvard Students is a Threat to Free Expression, Says PEN America.
Kristen Shahverdian, PEN America’s senior manager of free expression and education, said: “Exposing students’ private information and intimidating them into silence is an undeniable threat to freedom of expression.… More
Guidance on Campus Free Speech, Amid Controversies and Protests Related to Israel and Gaza
Students, faculty, and staff can refer to PEN America’s Campus Free Speech Guide and Online Harassment Field Manual for further reading, resources, and practical advice. More
PEN America Responds to Texas Decision to Roll Back “Approved Vendor” Policy in Prisons
Moira Marquis, senior manager of PEN America’s Freewrite Project, said: “Any effort to limit literacy and access to information is censorship, which should not be the mechanism prisons use… More
UN Submission Documents Vietnam’s Serious Free Expression Violations
The Vietnamese government continues to stifle free expression, wielding laws as weapons to control narratives and silence voices that dare to imagine a different world. More
PEN America Welcomes Bill to Hold Foreign Governments Accountable When They Trample on the Rights of Dissidents Living in the U.S.
“Writers and artists around the world face continued threats to their safety by regimes seeking to force them into silence. Transnational repression compounds these threats, menacing the exiled and… More