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...

Together with @peninternational.bsky.social, we condemn the guilty verdict against Jimmy Lai & urge the UK government to act immediately and decisively on his behalf. Read our statement & send a message of solidarity to Jimmy Lai through #PENWrites. #FreeJimmyLai www.englishpen.org/posts/campai...

#HongKong: Yesterday, we have joined @englishpen.bsky.social, @hongkongwatch.bsky.social & over 30 other civil society organisations in an open letter to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, urging him press for Jimmy Lai's release. Read the letter below ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/china-h...

We condemn the conviction of Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper publisher Jimmy Lai. He now faces possible life in prison. The international community, including the US, must stand up for independent media and continue pressing for Lai’s release. #FreeJimmyLai bsky.app/profile/peni...

#HongKong: Together with @englishpen.bsky.social, we condemn the conviction of writer and media publisher #JimmyLai. We continue to stand with him and urge the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities to release him immediately and unconditionally. www.pen-international.org/news/china-h...

#HongKong: With Jimmy Lai's national security trial verdict now expected on Monday, we again urge the authorities to end this injustice by dropping all charges against him and to release him immediately. Read our latest statement 🔽 www.pen-international.org/news/china-h...

#Vietnam: Ahead of the 4th anniversary of writer Pham Doan Trang's unjust sentencing, we join @rsf.org @amnesty.org @penamerica.bsky.social @pressfreedom.bsky.social & others in calling on the international community to secure her release #FreePhamDoanTrang www.pen-international.org/news/vietnam...

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...

#India: We welcome the imminent release of academic Hany Babu following the approval of his bail application. Detained without trial for over 5 years, this ruling recognises the grave injustice he has faced. Learn more ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/india-a...

DHS decision to end Temporary Protected Status for Burmese nationals in the US is “the worst of the worst foreign policy ever seen from the Trump administration in Southeast Asia”, & will mean that deported Myanmar nationals face “prisons, brutal torture and death.” www.irrawaddy.com/news/myanmar...

#Australia #Thailand #Malaysia: We join PEN Centres in condemning Malaysia’s attempt to silence writer Murray Hunter through transnational criminal defamation, and urge Foreign Minister Penny Wong to intervene. Read our joint letter ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/austral...

WRITE A MESSAGE OF HOPE: Today, show solidarity with Uyghur writer #YalqunRozi, imprisoned in Xinjiang since 2016 for his cultural and literary work. Write to him, every message helps writers know they’re not forgotten. www.pen-international.org/yalqun-rozi-... #DayoftheImprisonedWriter

#India: We join partner PEN Centres and free-press groups urging the Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner to urgently probe death threats against journalist Rana Ayyub and her father. Read our joint letter ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/pen-int...

TAKE ACTION: His words kept Uyghur culture alive — now he’s silenced for them. Stand with #YalqunRozi this #DayoftheImprisonedWriter. Sign our petition to set him free:

To mark the #DayoftheImprisonedWriter, journalist Cheng Lei shared her own story of unjust imprisonment, reflecting on the courage of advocates who helped secure her release. Watch her full testimony on our Instagram and take action today to support imprisoned writers 👉

#Thailand: We join PEN #Malaysia in expressing our alarm over the Malaysian government's targeting of Murray Hunter in an act of transnational repression. We call for the complaints against him to be withdrawn immediately. Read our joint statement 🔽 www.pen-international.org/news/malaysi...

Last week, we partnered with the Independent Chinese PEN Centre for a conference on the brutal realities of Chinese imprisonment and the impact of global conflict on free expression. During its award ceremony, the ICPC also honoured the courage of Zhang Haitao, Ding Jiaxi, and Gao Yu.

SIGN OUR PETITION: www.pen-international.org/yalqun-rozi-... Uyghur writer #YalqunRozi has spent 9 years behind bars in China for expressing his cultural identity. Sentenced to 15 years, his only “crime” was helping preserve the Uyghur language. You can set him free. #DayoftheImprisonedWriter

Our #DayoftheImprisonedWriter campaign starts today! Stand with writers behind bars: Rory Branker, Yalqun Rozi, Mohamed Tadjadit & Mzia Amaglobeli. You can write to authorities, sign petitions, or send messages of support — every action helps! www.pen-international.org/our-campaign...

Happening now: Our first panel for the Independent Chinese PEN Centre Award Ceremony, featuring a timely and important discussion with Luo Shengchun, Enver Tothi Bughda, and Ben Rogers on imprisonment and the increasingly severe reality of surveillance in China. #DayoftheImprisonedWriter

“We should all worry deeply about a world in which authoritarian governments use threats against people at home to silence critics of human-rights abuses abroad,” writes Laura Murphy in a guest essay

EVENT: From nationwide surveillance to the silencing of critical voices, this panel will explore the inner workings of China’s prison system and the courage of those who resist it. Tickets ⬇️ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/chinese-pr...

For those in London next Fri, please join us for this fantastic event, organised by the Independent Chinese PEN Centre, in partnership with PEN International May be of interest to your networks: @ppoon.bsky.social, @nicolamacbean.bsky.social, @taniabranigan.bsky.social, @pm-thornton.bsky.social

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

What would a world with true freedom of expression look like? 💡 At this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair with @youngwriterspen.bsky.social, leading voices reminded us that freedom of expression isn’t easy... It’s dialogue, discomfort, and the courage to speak and listen so every voice can be heard.

#China: Today, on the 10-year anniversary of the kidnapping of poet, bookseller and PEN member, Gui Minhai, 65 PEN Centres around the world renew our demand for his immediate and unconditional release. Read our joint statement ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/china-p... #FreeGuiMinhai

#China: We join RSF in a coalition of 90 civil society organisations demanding the immediate release of poet, bookseller and PEN member, Gui Minhai. Read more ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/china-j... #FreeGuiMinhai

i desperately want everyone involved in the destruction of USAID to have to, st the very least, answer to the american people for the suffering and misery they have caused apnews.com/article/myan...

We are alarmed at reports that photojournalist and writer Shahidul Alam and others have been detained following the interception of an aid flotilla bound for Gaza. We call for their immediate release and safe return. Read his recent article ⬇️ en.prothomalo.com/opinion/5gzi...

#Malaysia 🇲🇾 Centre for Independent Journalism & PEN Malaysia raised this question after Murray Hunter's arrest. "Is this a justifiable use of law enforcement and taxpayers’ money to pursue a political commentator abroad for alleged defamation against a public institution?"

#Vietnam: On the fifth anniversary of writer and journalist Pham Doan Trang's arrest, we join a coalition of 21 rights organisations calling for her release. Read our statement ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/vietnam... #FreePhamDoanTrang

Don’t miss this important discussion! PEN Malaysia, PEN Philippines, and PEN International are hosting a panel ahead of Myanmar’s December elections, exploring the links between the electoral process, violence & restrictions on free expression. Oct 5, 3–4 pm (MYT). meet.google.com/dbh-tngp-fnr

#Malaysia #Thailand: We join PEN Malaysia in expressing concern over the arrest of writer & journalist #MurrayHunter by the Thai police, reportedly at the behest of the Malaysian authorities. As ASEAN chair, Malaysia must reflect on the signal this sends. abcnews.go.com/Internationa...

We welcome the news that @pensweden.bsky.social has awarded the 2025 Tucholsky Prize to imprisoned author Phạm Đoan Trang. This recognition shines an important light on her courage to overcome state censorship and her tireless fight for freedom of expression. www.svenskapen.se/senaste-nytt...

Den fängslade vietnamesiska författaren Phạm Đoan Trang tilldelas 2025 års Tucholskypris av Svenska PEN. Imprisoned author Phạm Đoan Trang is awarded the 2025 Tucholsky Prize.

Afghanistan: Taliban imposes nationwide communications blackout, millions now cut off from outside world — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide bit.ly/4pGBJ1Y @h0ro.bsky.social @englishpen.bsky.social @irishpen.bsky.social @sanmiguelpen.bsky.social

#Afghanistan: The Taliban’s nationwide internet blackout is an alarming escalation in its assault on free expression. PEN International calls for the immediate reversal of the shutdown. Read our full statement ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/afghani...

At our 91st Congress in Kraków, Centres adopted a landmark Resolution condemning the ongoing escalating attacks on freedom of expression in the United States — from book bans to threats against press freedom. Read the full resolution ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/pen-int...

At PEN’s 91st Congress in Kraków, we launched the Manifesto on the Defence of Nature. Signed by writers worldwide, it calls on us all to be witnesses, protectors & visionaries in the face of the climate crisis. Read the Manifesto ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/pen-int...

#China: Today, Sebastien Lai addressed the UN Human Rights Council, calling for the immediate release of his father, #HongKong writer and publisher Jimmy Lai, who he fears may die in prison. See his statement here⬇️ #FreeJimmyLai www.pen-international.org/news/china-h...

LOL, China's state television network, China Central Television (CCTV — nice), has forced Reuters to take down its video of Xi and Putin talking about living to 150, or maybe forever, on biotech breakthroughs. Beijing is revoking legal permission to use the footage. www.reuters.com/business/med...

On our final day at Congress, we came together for powerful conversations on the freedom to publish, cultural erasure, and centering Indigenous literature and culture in global conversations. Thank you to all who shared their voices. Stay tuned for photos and videos in the coming weeks.

PEN International is delighted to announce the appointment of literary giant and Nobel Prize-winning Polish writer and activist Olga Tokarczuk as Vice President of PEN International. Read more ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/nobel-l...

LIVE: Memory, Migration and Myth in Contemporary Fiction Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk joins the PEN International President to reflect on the power of writing to courageously confront authority and wield the pen as a sword.

LIVE: Burhan Sonmez, International President, speaks from the PEN International 91st Annual Congress on the origins of the word freedom. This year’s Congress is a gathering of hope uniting writers and advocates of freedom of expression worldwide.

“The only mystery here is who orders those books. And unfortunately, it matches the profile of the methods of the Russian Federation.” Could the Kremlin be behind a recent spate of book thefts in Europe?

@pensweden.bsky.social is among the signatories. #FreeJimmyLai

#HongKong: 72 rights groups urge the UK Prime Minister to secure the release of imprisoned writer & publisher Jimmy Lai, as his health deteriorates. #FreeJimmyLai Read more ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/china-h...