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...

#HongKong: With the closing arguments of writer and media publisher Jimmy Lai's national security trial due to take place today, we continue to call for his immediate and unconditional release. Held in solitary confinement for almost 5 years, he faces a life sentence if convicted.

> 100,000 Myanmar refugees in Thailand have lost access to essential food & medical aid due to US funding cuts. The Thai government should immediately permit refugees to lawfully work and travel outside its refugee camps, @hrw says www.hrw.org/news/2025/08...

#Bangladesh: Amidst a campaign of harassment against writer and activist Nadira Yeasmin, we call on the interim government to protect her and others who support gender equality. www.pen-international.org/news/banglad...

Academic and anti-caste activist Hany Babu’s ongoing incarceration is a damning example of how counter-terror legislation is being used as a cudgel to silence dissent. Its misuse against Hany Babu, who used his voice to support marginalised communities, casts a dark shadow on India’s legal system.

#India: Ahead of tomorrow's bail hearing, we call on the Bombay High Court to grant bail to academic #HanyBabu, who has been detained without trial for over 5 years. Counter-terror legislation must never be misused to silence peaceful dissent. www.pen-international.org/news/india-a...

Indian authorities have banned 25 books in Kashmir, accusing them of promoting a "false narrative" and "secessionism."

#Bangladesh: We welcome the High Court's decision to finally quash the case against photojournalist and social activist Shahidul Alam. He should never have been charged. To learn more about the unjust case against him, see our Case List entry: www.pen-international.org/cases/shahid...

Join us at the African Book Fair to explore the threats facing writers and readers across the continent — and what we can do about them. With Natasha Omokhodion, Dr. Njuki Githethwa, and Nduko o’Matigere (PEN International). 📅 7–10 August 2025 📍 Maktaba Kuu, KNLS, Nairobi

#Pakistan: We are deeply concerned for the welfare of activist Mahrang Baloch and call for her immediate release. Her ongoing detention is a damning example of how Pakistan's legal system has been weaponised to silence peaceful dissent. Read our statement ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/pakista...

We’re excited to announce the 91st PEN International Congress is heading to Kraków, 2–5 Sept 2025 — hosted by Polish PEN as part of its Centenary. Theme: Freedom of Words – Words of the Free. Expect bold debates, global voices, and powerful public events. More soon! 🌍

Today marks two years since PEN #Ukraine member Victoria Amelina died from injuries sustained in a Russian missile strike. We continue to pay homage to her fearlessness and rich literary legacy, and to urge justice and accountability for her killing. www.pen-international.org/news/ukraine...

Today is the 4th anniversary of the forced closure of Apple Daily, once regarded as Hong Kong’s most prominent independent newspaper. In a joint letter, we join 33 organizations in requesting that Keir Starmer meet with Sebastien Lai, the son of the imprisoned writer, #JimmyLai: buff.ly/fsOaxIQ

Publisher Jimmy Lai has spent more than 1600 days in solitary confinement in Hong Kong. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has yet to meet with Jimmy’s son Sebastien. We've joined 32 organisations in calling on him to arrange to meet without further delay. #FreeJimmyLai www.englishpen.org/posts/campai...

#HongKong: On the 4th anniversary of Apple Daily's forced closure, we join international partners urging the UK Prime Minister to meet with Sebastien Lai, son of jailed writer & Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai. #FreeJimmyLai Read our joint letter 🔽 www.pen-international.org/news/china-h...

#China: Today, Sebastien Lai, son of #HongKong writer and media publisher #JimmyLai, addressed the UN Human Rights Council as a representative of PEN International and called for his father's release. Watch his statement here🔽

#G7 leaders are meeting in #Canada this week. Writer and media publisher #JimmyLai will die in prison unless action is taken now. We ask G7 leaders to work together to #FreeJimmyLai. #G7Kananaskis2025

At the commemoration event at the Japanese parliament building on 3 June 2025 to mark the 36th anniversary of #TiananmenMassacre & 15th anniversary of #LiuXiaobo’s Nobel Peace Prize. Thanks Ma Thida, chair of @peninternational.bsky.social’s Writers-in-Prison Committee, for her recorded speech.

In That Day is Not Far Off, poet Su. Thavachelvan honours the silenced histories and strength of Sri Lanka’s Hill Country Tamil community. The poem features in Tea Stained Lines, a new PEN-Sri Lanka anthology of local voices. Find out more: teastainedlines.carrd.co

Deepseek, the Chinese AI chatbot, would not tell you today's date, because it is June 4, a "sensitive date" of the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre, which the Chinese government has sought to erase all memory of. According to Chinese netizens, and the Taiwan press: news.ltn.com.tw/news/politic...

In the latest article by PEN/Opp, writer and PEN Afghanistan member Neelufer Suhrabie reflects on the day Kabul fell to the Taliban, and what followed for Afghanistan’s writers and poets. Read Gloomy Sunday ➡️ penopp.org/articles/glo...

Dawn spotlights PEN International’s call to immediately halt the mass deportation of Afghans from Pakistan, including writers and journalists. We urge the international community to continue to provide safety to at-risk Afghans. Read more: www.dawn.com/news/1913860

We urge Pakistan to stop the mass deportation of Afghans. As many countries close humanitarian visa pathways, we call on the international community to provide safety to at-risk Afghans, including writers, journalists, and artists who fled from the Taliban. bsky.app/profile/peni...

#Pakistan: Index joins free expression and human rights organisations calling on the #Pakistan government to immediately halt the mass deportation of #Afghans from Pakistan, which imperils the lives of those who fled the #Taliban: www.pen-international.org/news/pakista...

🇦🇫🇵🇰‼️Today, ARC stands firmly with our partners in issuing our concern over the mass deportation of at-risk Afghans in Pakistan. This action imperils the lives of writers, journalists, human rights defenders, and others who have faced persecution by the Taliban.

The decision to deport Afghans from Pakistan was first announced in October 2023, but has dramatically increased in recent months, resulting in over 30,000 deportations in April alone. (2/7)

#Pakistan: We join free expression and human rights organisations to sound alarm over the mass deportation of Afghans from Pakistan, which imperils the lives of writers, journalists, artists and HRDs who fled from the Taliban. Read our joint statement ➡️ www.pen-international.org/news/pakista...