Polina Sadovskaya

Program Director, Advocacy and Eurasia

Polina Sadovskaya, Ph.D., joined the PEN America team in 2016 as the first Free Expression Programs coordinator for Eurasia. She came to New York from Paris, where she was with UNESCO’s Division of Freedom of Expression and Media Development. She organized various international and global forums, and managed a project empowering local communities in Africa with radio and new digital technologies. She is an active supporter of women’s and youth’s rights around the world, and is a member of the IFEX Council. Prior to joining PEN America, Sadovskaya worked for Habitat Pro Association, an NGO advocating for the rights of indigenous peoples in Peru, particularly those of indigenous women and youth. She was also a radio correspondent for a national radio, and a marketing and communications manager with a major bank in her native Russia. She is fluent in Russian, French, and English, and has degrees in marketing from Grenoble Graduate School of Business and in journalism from South Ural State University.

Publications

Art Activism, Beyond Governments
Documenta, September 2022

Georgia needs EU membership — despite its government
euobserver, December 2023

Belarus’ capture of journalist Roman Protasevich on a Ryanair plane threatens us all
NBC News, May 2021

Florida’s War on Public Ed Looks a Lot Like Russia’s
The Hill, August 2022

Freedom of Artistic Expression Through the Lens of the Sustainable Development Goals
Springer, November 2020


Articles by Polina Sadovskaya

Friday June 24

The “Burning Poet(s)” Trilingual Poetry Days in Armenia: A Great Success

When I moved from New York to Tbilisi, Georgia last year with the intention of building closer ties between PEN America and the Eurasia region, I never expected so much success so quickly.

Monday December 20

Russian Social Media Platform Threatens Free Expression

The acquisition of Russia’s most popular social network by a close ally of President Vladimir Putin puts another nail in the coffin for free expression in the country.

Friday October 15

Nobel Prize to Dmitry Muratov is a Sign that the World Should Unite to Confront Kremlin’s Foreign Agent Law

The Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov is an important step to acknowledge the crackdown on independent media by authoritarian regimes.

More Articles by Polina Sadovskaya

Tuesday February 23

As Putin and Lukashenko Meet, Russia’s Role in Fueling Belarus Crackdown Can’t Be Overlooked

Thursday November 5

The PEN Ten: An Interview with Valzhyna Mort

Monday July 27

Belarus Approaches Another Undemocratic Election, as Arts and Culture Remains Underground

Thursday June 25

Case Against Journalist Svetlana Prokopieva Exemplifies Broken Russian System

Monday May 4

From Informed Responsibility To Dangerous Denial: COVID Responses in Eurasia

Global Free Expression
Tuesday November 26

The Empty Chair Day: Stanislav Aseyev

Tuesday November 5

Oleg’s Freedom and What’s Next for Prisoners of Conscience

Tuesday August 6

We Are for Freedom: Amid Violence Crackdown, Writers Rally in Defense of Moscow Protesters

Monday July 22

With Russia Back in the Council of Europe, It’s Time for Some Tough Love

Tuesday July 9

He Is Not Forgotten: Celebrating Oleg Sentsov’s Birthday, His Sixth in Captivity

Global Free Expression
Friday May 10

Ukrainian Filmmaker Oleg Sentsov Marks Five Years in Russian Prison

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Wednesday February 20

“It is Our Duty to be the Voice of the Voiceless”: An Interview with Filmmaker Agnieszka Holland

Wednesday December 12

An Interview with Tatiana Yankelevich on Sakharov Prize Recipient Oleg Sentsov

Monday December 10

Moscow on Mute: How Russia is Silencing the Voices of Its Young Musicians

Wednesday August 15

Romanian PEN Center: “We Are a Country of Poets”

Tuesday July 17

Macedonian PEN Center: Fostering Culture and Community

Thursday June 14

He Can Still Be Saved: 32 Days Into His Hunger Strike, Oleg Sentsov Must Be Released Immediately