Free Expression in Eurasia

The Issue

While Eurasia has seen democratic progress in countries including Ukraine, Armenia, and Georgia, in others like Russia and Belarus, authoritarian regimes continue to crack down on independent cultural expression. In this political context, writers, musicians, and artists across the region play vital roles in their societies as champions of free expression.

PEN America is a steadfast supporter of, and partner to, free speech champions in Eurasia, actively opposing the persecution of journalists and cultural workers, writers, and artists through large-scale international campaigns, targeted engagement with policy makers, and intercultural exchange.

In recent years, PEN America’s Eurasia advocacy has centered on Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Georgia.

Latest News

December 9, 2023

PEN America Condemns Russian Government for Putting Journalist Masha Gessen on Most Wanted List

August 17, 2023

Following Russian Journalist Elena Kostyuchenko’s Account of Being Poisoned in Germany, PEN America Raises Concern About Transnational Attacks

Growing Repression and Persecution of Writers and Artists in Belarus, Ahead of Third Anniversary of Illegitimate Presidential Election

August 7, 2023

“Belarusians are enduring profound restrictions of their fundamental rights and their cultural heritage is under serious threat and the world is not doing enough to preserve it. If we fail to protect Belarusian writers and artists, including those in exile, we will jeopardize the last brave and independent voices from Belarus and as a result, the battle for freedoms and democracy in the region.” said Polina Sadovskaya, PEN America’s Eurasia and advocacy director.

New Report: 16 Writers and Public Intellectuals Jailed in Belarus in 2022, with 33 Writers at Risk for Persecution

April 27, 2023

“Belarusian culture does not have a place in its own country,” said Polina Sadovskaya, Eurasia and Advocacy Director at PEN America. “In 2022, the jailing of writers and public intellectuals sadly remained a constant of Belarusian cultural life. However, while authorities detained and imprisoned writers, the surrounding community adapted in order to ensure the existence of Belarusian culture. Writers who fled Belarus for their safety now live and connect from abroad. Poetry readings in Belarusian take place in secret or online. Publishers have implemented new strategies to preserve their book inventories, considered ‘extremist’ by the authorities.”

PEN America, in Partnership with Bard College, Establishes Digital Archive to Preserve Independent Reporting by Russian Journalists During Vladimir Putin’s Rule

April 11, 2023

“Accountability and accurate narrative depend on reliable witnesses who stand against propaganda efforts to reinterpret the past. Brave, determined independent journalists have worked under tremendous constraints on press freedom and free expression, and their stories must be preserved if we are to understand Russia’s present and serve its future.”

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Individual Cases

Vladyslav Yesypenko

Vladyslav Yesypenko is a freelance journalist who was detained in March 2021 by the Russian Federal Security Services (FSB) while reporting in Crimea. He is serving six years in prison for a spurious espionage charge.

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Yuri Dmitriev

Yury Dmitriev is a historian and human rights activist from Petrozavodsk, Russia who writes about and researches victims of Stalin’s “Great Terror.” He is serving 15 years in prison.

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Stanislav Aseyev

Stanislav Aseyev reported on daily life in the Donbas, describing everything from propaganda and military activities to food prices, culture, and entertainment.

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Oleg Sentsov

Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian film director, was detained in Crimea in May 2014 and sentenced to 20 years in a Russian prison on charges of terrorism on August 25, 2015.

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