Advocacy
PEN Stands in Solidarity with Indian Writers Protesting Murders
PEN, at its 81st Congress in Quebec City, is standing in solidarity with Indian writers, who are protesting against the silencing of independent voices by the killing of writers… More
Publishers’ Pledge on Chinese Censorship of Translated Works
As publishers we cherish and champion the freedom to read, write, and publish and the power of ideas to transcend geographic and political divides. We recognize that free expression… More
Publishers’ Pledge on Chinese Translations
Twelve U.S. publishers have signed onto a PEN American Center pledge to monitor and address incidents of censorship in Chinese translations of books by foreign authors. More
Liu Xia: Rare Video Reading
October 8, 2015, marks five years since poet and artist Liu Xia was put under extralegal house arrest on the very day her husband, Liu Xiaobo, was named recipient… More
Jewher Ilham: My Father, My Country
While China’s president is engaging in dialogue with those who disagree with him on many issues, scores of dissidents will be languishing in the prisons that his government… More
[In Chinese] Dear President Xi: A Message from America’s Writers
The Chinese translation of our letter to President Xi Jinping. More
Azerbaijan: Sport for Rights and PEN Call for Release of Detained Journalist, End to Pressure against Independent Media
The Sport for Rights Coalition condemns the Azerbaijani authorities’ extensive pressure against the staff of independent online television station Meydan TV, as part of a wider unprecedented crackdown on… More
Dear President Xi: A Message from America’s Writers
The imprisonment of writers and journalists damages China’s image abroad and undercuts its ambition to be a strong and respected partner on the world stage. More
Eskinder Nega, Zone 9, and Anti-Terrorism Laws: Ethiopia’s Free Expression Crisis
This past weekend marks one year since Ethiopian authorities conducted a sweeping arrest of a group of 6 young bloggers from the Zone 9 Collective and three other journalists.… More
Texas: Whitewashed Textbooks Headed to Classrooms
New social studies textbooks being used in Texas public school classrooms this fall barely address racial segregation—nor do they mention Jim Crow laws throughout American history, or the existence… More