#Italy: Tomorrow, @robertosaviano.bsky.social faces trial on spurious criminal defamation charges. A previous hearing in December was postponed. We reiterate our solidarity and urge the authorities to drop all charges immediately. Read more on the case ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/italy-c...

#Georgia: Tomorrow, Monday 26 January, Georgia’s human rights record is reviewed at the United Nations. Read our joint submission with PEN Georgia and PEN America (@penamerica.bsky.social) on repressive laws and attacks on journalists, writers and artists. www.pen-international.org/news/georgia...

In the country of Georgia, the government is escalating its attacks on independent culture, press, and freedom of expression with impunity. Read our joint statement with PEN Georgia and @peninternational.bsky.social ahead of the country’s human rights review at the UN: pen.org/press-releas...

#Türkiye: The hearing of @pensweden.bsky.social member Joakim Medin has been postponed to 7 May 2026. We reiterate calls for an end to his judicial harassment and for bogus terror-related charges to be dropped at once. Read more on the case ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/trkiye-...

#Türkiye: We condemn the sentencing of writer and honorary PEN member Selahattin Demirtaş to yet another unjust prison term on ‘insult’ grounds and renew calls for his immediate release. Read more from Middle East Online ⬇️ www.middle-east-online.com/en/turkish-c...

Aljaž Koprivnikar, speaking for @pen-tlrc.bsky.social highlights the importance of respecting diverse languages and how translation can be used as a tool to build bridges between cultures. Join our Indigenous and Minoritised languages Videopoems Marathon: www.pen-international.org/committee-ne...

In this recent interview with Global Voices (@globalvoices.org), Ege Dündar (@ege-dundar.bsky.social) reflects on the work of the Young Writers Committee (@youngwriterspen.bsky.social) and the increasing importance of supporting emerging voices. Read more ⬇️ globalvoices.org/2025/12/26/t...

#Georgia: We welcome @echr.coe.int's landmark judgment in the case of Tsaava and Others v. #Georgia on the policing of protests and the protection of journalists, citing our joint intervention with PEN Georgia & English PEN. Read our joint statement ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/georgia...

#Italy: As @robertosaviano.bsky.social stands trial again on spurious criminal defamation grounds, we reiterate our full solidarity and call for all charges to be dropped. Read more ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/italy-c...

#Belarus: As we welcome the release of PEN members Ales Bialiatski, Maksim Znak and Aliaksandr Fiaduta with immense relief, we urge justice for the violations they suffered, including their forced exile. Read our statement ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/belarus...

#Georgia #Belarus: PEN cases Andrzej Poczobut and Mzia Amaglobeli are being awarded the prestigious 2025 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought today. We reiterate calls for their immediate release. www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/ar...

A new analytical report dedicated to artistic freedom and the protection of cultural diversity has been published on the PEN Belarus website. We have gathered several examples of how artistic and cultural activities can become central elements in criminal charges.

We welcome the long-awaited release of PEN members Ales Bialiatski and Maksim Znak and fellow writers after years behind bars! We continue urging #Belarus to free all those still held on trumped up grounds. #FreeThemAll www.reuters.com/world/europe...

Poland is at a defining moment for cultural freedom. Critical Junctures uncovers the challenges faced by writers, journalists, and artists over the past decade, from censorship and SLAPPs to politicised media and shrinking space for dissent. Read the full report, available in English and Polish.

Now available in Polish and English: Critical Junctures. PEN International’s report examines the state of freedom to create in Poland from 2015–2025, documenting pressures on writers and journalists and outlining recommendations for reform. Read the report:

#RussianFederation: Writer Larisa Tuptsokova faces years in prison in absentia for her work promoting Circassian language and culture. We urge the authorities to drop all charges and to end mounting acts of transnational repression. www.pen-international.org/news/russian...

As #DayoftheImprisonedWriter comes to a close, thank you to all who stood in solidarity with imprisoned writers worldwide. Our collective voices challenge censorship and repression, today on #HumanRightsDay, and every day. #MohamedTadjadit #YalqunRozi #RoryBranker #MziaAmaglobeli

This Human Rights Day, we share a new statement from the Writers for Peace Committee. Together, they reaffirm that words still matter and that peace depends on how we speak and listen. Read the full statement: www.pen-international.org/news/human-r...

On #HumanRightsDay, PEN International launches its first global #LiteraryAuction — featuring rare contributions from leading writers, with all proceeds supporting freedom of expression worldwide. Explore the auction: www.pen-international.org/news/literar...

Huge congratulations to Elif Shafak, newly elected President of the Royal Society of Literature. A powerful advocate for free expression and the unifying force of storytelling. We celebrate this well-deserved recognition!. www.theguardian.com/books/2025/d...

Georgia is jailing journalists for doing their job. Join the discussion on #MziaAmaglobeli’s imprisonment, the wave of arrests since 2024 & how to defend media freedom. Organised by @mediafreedomeu.bsky.social in partnership with us. www.mfrr.eu/jailed-for-d... #FreeMzia #DayoftheImprisonedWriter

#DayoftheImprisonedWriter: Stand with #MziaAmaglobeli ✍️ She’s jailed for doing her job. Send a message of solidarity, write to the authorities and share her story online to show her she is not alone and to support her fight for justice! 📣 Take action: www.pen-international.org/mzia-amaglob...

Burhan Sonmez will be in Rome with acclaimed writers and members of the aspiring PEN Rome Centre to discuss freedom of speech and press. Joining Janeczek, Lipperini, @robertosaviano.bsky.social and Veronesi at an event by Più libri più liberi. Find out more (IT): plpl.it/news/event/l...

#Türkiye: We welcome the release of journalist and author Furkan Karabay after 201 behind bars on spurious grounds. We call for his conviction to be overturned and for his judicial harassment to end once and for all. bianet.org/haber/gazete...

We mourn the passing of Hege Newth (1966–2025), a tireless champion for persecuted writers and former Secretary General of Norsk PEN. Her dedication, wisdom, and courage leave a lasting legacy. Our deepest condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues. norskpen.no/nyheter/hege...

Journalist Furkan Karabay goes on trial tomorrow, facing 6–15 years on politically motivated charges in Türkiye. Detained since May and held in solitary, he continues to write. Read his work in the most recent article of PEN/Opp: penopp.org/articles/i-w...

This month’s reading list is themed “From Behind Bars” in for our #DayoftheImprisonedWriter campaign. These works, born from experiences behind bars remind us that the human voice endures even when freedom is taken away. Take action for those behind bars: www.pen-international.org/our-campaign...

WRITE A MESSAGE OF HOPE: For simply doing her job as a journalist, #MziaAmaglobeli is serving a two-year prison sentence in Georgia on politically motivated grounds. www.pen-international.org/mzia-amaglob... Send her a message and remind her that her words matter. #DayoftheImprisonedWriter

Writers around the world are raising their voices for the Day of the Imprisoned Writer. Centres around the world are amplifying those silenced - through letters, readings, and action in solidarity. #DayoftheImprisonedWriter #RoryBranker #YalqunRozi #MohamedTadjadit #MziaAmaglobeli

PEN International congratulates @robertosaviano.bsky.social on receiving the Constantinople Prize, awarded in recognition of his powerful contributions to global understanding of conflict zones. Your commitment to truth and justice continues to inspire us all. www.ilmattino.it/en/roberto_s...

#Georgia 🇬🇪 New restrictions on public gatherings have seen dozens of protesters arrested in recent days – including writers, journalists and artists. @peninternational.bsky.social calls on the authorities to uphold the rights to freedom of expression and assembly. 🔗 buff.ly/rsnWsWr

" Add your voice. Speak up. Let us rewrite the story of the future together." Join British actor and activist Khalid Abdalla in showing solidarity with imprisoned writers and standing up for freedom of expression: www.pen-international.org/our-campaign...

#DayoftheImprisonedWriter: 📣 Today we stand in solidarity with writers silenced for their words. Join us in amplifying their voices: #RoryBranker, #YalqunRozi , #MohamedTadjadit , and #MziaAmaglobeli. Take action with us ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/our-campaign...

Tomorrow, PEN International launches a global call to free writers jailed for their words: #RoryBranker #YalqunRozi #MohamedTadjadit #MziaAmaglobeli. Follow & stay tuned to take action. #DayoftheImprisonedWriter

From the frontlines of war to the tightening grip of authoritarianism, this panel will examine how conflict and repression collide to threaten freedom of expression worldwide. As part of the “International Imprisonment and War” conference, join us this Friday: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/chinese-pr...

#DayoftheImprisonedWriter is nearly here! From 15 Nov–10 Dec, we’ll highlight four writers jailed for speaking out: Rory Branker, Yalqun Rozi, Mohamed Tadjadit and Mzia Amaglobeli. Join us to call for their release! #DayoftheImprisonedWriter #RoryBranker #YalqunRozi #MohamedTadjadit #MziaAmaglobeli

#Georgia: We urge the release of writers and artists detained following new restrictions on public gatherings and call upon the international community to hold the authorities accountable for their human rights violations. Read our statement ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/georgia...

"Ekinci is guilty of nothing but daring to be a writer in today’s #Türkiye.” We welcome the dismissal of the case against @yavuzekinci.bsky.social and urge the authorities to uphold the freedom to create for all. www.pen-international.org/news/trkiye-....

Serbian Journalist Marko Vidojković Receives Series of Death Threats Online Find out more 👉 go.coe.int/o0Kkw Alert submitted by @efjeurope.bsky.social @ifjglobal.bsky.social & @peninternational.bsky.social #EuropeForFreeMedia Photo: Danas

Join the Independent Chinese PEN Centre with PEN International for “Chinese Prisons and International War: The 2025 ICPC Awards and Panel Discussions” on 14 November 2025, 1–5 PM. Tickets available now ⬇️ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/chinese-pr... #DayOfTheImprisonedWriter

#Türkiye: Kurdish writer Yavuz Ekinci (@yavuzekinci.bsky.social) stands trial again on 10 November for his book Dream Divided. Preposterous terrorism charges must be dropped once and for all. www.pen-international.org/news/trkiye-...

#Georgia: We condemn the sentencing of former PEN Georgia president Paata Shamugia to 5 days in prison for taking part in peaceful protests and urge the authorities to uphold fundamental rights. www.interpressnews.ge/ka/article/8...

#Georgia: We urge the immediate release of acclaimed poet and former president of PEN Georgia Paata Shamugia, who faces up to 15 days in prison for taking part in peaceful protests. Read more ⬇️ georgiatoday.ge/police-arres...

#Türkiye: We urge authorities to release PEN member Merdan Yanardağ, held on ludicrous espionage charges, and to halt their pervasive assault on press freedom. #JournalismIsNotACrime Read our statement ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/trkiye-...

L'ONU denuncia la repressió sistemàtica dels drets culturals a Bielorússia. El PEN Català ha publicat un dossier detallat —«Bielorússia: Literatura, repressió i resistència cultural»— que recull dades, testimonis i anàlisis sobre aquesta situació: www.pencatala.cat/wp-content/u...

#Belarus: As the country’s human rights record comes under review at the UN on 3 November, we reiterate grave concerns over the authorities’ brutal clampdown on cultural and linguistic rights and urge action. Read our joint submission ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/belarus...

REPORT: PEN International launches Critical Junctures: Safeguarding the Freedom to Create in Poland, revealing how artistic freedoms have been curtailed, and celebrating the courage of those defending independent voices. Read more: www.pen-international.org/news/critica... #CriticalJunctures

El PEN Català presenta el dossier "Bielorússia: literatura, repressió i resistència cultural", un informe que recull dades dels cinc anys de persecució contra la paraula lliure i la cultura al país. @penbelarus.bsky.social @peninternational.bsky.social 📕 www.pencatala.cat/wp-content/u...

We warmly welcome the news that Andrzej Poczobut and Mzia Amaglobeli have been awarded the 2025 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. This is a powerful recognition of their courage in defending freedom of expression. Read more about their cases ⬇️ www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/pres...

#Türkiye: PEN International joins press and freedom of expression organisations in urgently calling for the immediate removal of the anti-LGBTQ+ provision from Türkiye’s 11th Judicial Package. Read the full statement ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/turkiye...