"To change a system, you must in some way be part of it." Fatoumata Sissi Ngom urges those in democratic societies to recognise the power of their choices and use their freedoms to push for a better world. Watch the full panel with @youngwriterspen.bsky.social: www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC2q...

#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...

PEN International is increasingly concerned by efforts to silence diverse voices and restrict access to literature. Read more from Hola Cultura (@holaculturadc.bsky.social) on the growing wave of book bans affecting Latine authors ⬇️ holacultura.com/as-book-bans...

#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-...

#Mexico: PEN International condemns the killing of journalist Miguel Ángel Beltrán Martínez, found dead in Durango after going missing on 23 Oct. We urge the Mexican authorities to conduct an immediate investigation. (@penamericas.bsky.social) www.cbsnews.com/news/journal...

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

Join us today at 3 pm in front of the Mexican Embassy in London to honour journalists in Mexico who’ve been killed or disappeared for their work. Can’t join in person? Create an altar wherever you are and share a photo with #NoOneIsGuaranteedSafety to stand in solidarity.

#Tanzania: PEN International calls on authorities to uphold international human rights obligations on freedom of expression. We urge authorities to immediately lift telecom restrictions and fully restore Internet access amid protests over disputed elections. cipesa.org/2025/10/tanz...

#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...

#Sudan: PEN International joins @ifjglobal.bsky.social and others in calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Sudanese journalist Muamar Ibrahim, reportedly detained on 26 October by RSF in El Fasher. Read more ⬇️ www.ifj.org/media-centre...

This Friday, we gather for No One Is Guaranteed Safety, a vigil in front of the Mexican Embassy in London honouring journalists murdered or disappeared in Mexico. Join us on the day or RSVP here: forms.gle/P3gobp2aVxtU... #NoOneIsGuaranteedSafety

REPORT: At this critical juncture, comprehensive reforms are essential to secure an open and diverse cultural sphere in Poland. Read our full recommendations from our latest report: www.pen-international.org/news/critica... #CriticalJunctures

REPORT: Our new report, Critical Junctures, reveals a decade of systemic attacks on free expression in Poland, and the resilience of those who continue to create and speak out. Read the full report and take a look at our key findings: www.pen-international.org/news/critica... #CriticalJunctures

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

This week, we continue our theme for PEN recommends reading list: Banned Books, spotlighting writers whose works have been silenced. Today, we feature The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, banned in several schools in the United States.

In this episode of Unbound Voices, Ira Wells, President of PEN Canada, sits with Samira Mohyeddin to reflect on the growing wave of book bans in Canada and the urgent need to safeguard the freedom to read. 🎧 Watch or listen now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=78X7...

Asia Spotlight is live! 🌏 This new series from our Young Writers Committee @youngwriterspen.bsky.social features voices from Bangladesh, Singapore, Thailand, and more, exploring censorship and resilience through personal reflections. Read the full overview ⬇️ tomorrowclub.world/spotlights/s...

We join PEN America in celebrating a victory for the freedom to read, as a U.S. judge orders banned books returned to military school shelves. pen.org/press-releas...

#Mexico: PEN International condemns the intimidating threats from criminal groups against "Semanario Zeta." The attack follows the outlet's publication of a crucial journalistic investigation on October 13, 2025. zetatijuana.com/2025/10/sena... Read more ⬇️

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...

PEN International warmly congratulates @giocondabelli.bsky.social, President of PEN Nicaragua, on receiving the Carlos Fuentes International Prize for Literary Creation. elpais.com/mexico/2025-...

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...

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.

Our youngest board member, Turkish-born Ege Dündar, is an author-activist leading a new context for young citizens’ place in a troubled world. Read his latest article with Publishing Perspectives ⬇️ publishingperspectives.com/2025/10/pen-... @youngwriterspen.bsky.social

Join PEN International, @sanmiguelpen.bsky.social, @englishpen.bsky.social and other PEN Centres with @amnesty.org and @article19.bsky.social. Together, we will gather in front of the Mexican Embassy in London to demand justice for murdered and disappeared journalists. #NoOneIsGuaranteedSafety

“يجب ألا يُستأنف القتال أبدًا.” نرحب بوقف إطلاق النار في #غزة، وندعو إلى إنهاء دائم للإبادة الجماعية والاحتلال والفصل العنصري. ويجب أن يتبع ذلك تحقيق العدالة والمساءلة وحق تقرير المصير للفلسطينيين. أقراء البيان كامل:

“The fighting must never resume.” We welcome the ceasefire in Gaza and call for a permanent end to genocide, occupation, and apartheid. Justice, accountability, and the right to self-determination for Palestinians must follow. www.pen-international.org/news/fwjyoik... @penmena.bsky.social

This week’s recommendation is Petals of Blood by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, which was banned in Kenya upon its release for exposing the struggles of ordinary people against greed and corruption. A former PEN Vice President, Ngũgĩ has long stood with writers worldwide in defending the freedom to write.

#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

Today marks eight years since #DaphneCaruanaGalizia was attacked for speaking truth to power. She challenged corruption at the highest levels and paid with her life. Her courage and legacy endure. We continue to support her family in their pursuit of justice and accountability.

Eight years ago, we were shaken by a tragedy that had no precedent in Malta. Eight years ago, someone decided to carry out an assassination on a person who chose, instead of living a comfortable life, to risk her own safety in order to expose facts in the public interest

We welcome the news that two PEN International cases, Jimmy Lai and Mzia Amaglobeli, are included amongst the recipients of the 2025 World Press Freedom Hero awards by the IPI in partnership with IMS We reiterate our calls for their immediate and unconditional freedom. ipi.media/2025-world-p...

International Secretary, Arne Svingen, joined global literary leaders to launch Belonging Matters. An initiative supported by IPA, IBBY, Frankfurt Book Fair, PEN International, and EIBF aims to foster a shared vision to uphold free expression and strengthen cross-border collaboration. #FBF25

PEN International is at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2025! 📚 We are connecting with writers, publishers, and readers around the world, sharing ideas that will shape the future of literature and free expression. #fbm25 @buchmesse.de

#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

#Malta: In memory of Daphne Caruana Galizia, press freedom and journalists’ groups call on authorities to adopt a National Action Plan on Media Freedom and Journalist Safety. Read more ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/malta-i...

At our 91st Congress in Kraków, the Young Writers Committee brought together voices from PEN Centres worldwide, sharing how they resist repression and defend free expression. This week, the Committee will be at the Frankfurt Book Fair for their panel “The Future of Writing and Free Expression.”

At English PEN’s #PENPinterPrize event on Friday, Leila Aboulela, winner of the 2025 PEN Pinter Prize, announced writer, journalist and human rights activist Stella Gaitano as this year’s Writer of Courage. Congratulations to both writers! www.englishpen.org/posts/campai...

Unbound Voices: Samira Mohyeddin in Conversation with PEN International. Samira Mohyeddin (@smohyeddin.bsky.social) talks with Mahi Ramakrishnan, President of PEN Malaysia, about displacement, book bans & gender based violence. Watch the full series: www.pen-international.org/unbound-voices

#USA: We join @penamerica.bsky.social in expressing outrage at the deportation of journalist Mario Guevara to El Salvador, a country he fled 20 years ago because of threats tied to his reporting. pen.org/press-releas... @penamericas.bsky.social

This month, we launch our new theme for PEN Recommends: Banned Books, spotlighting writers whose works have been silenced around the world. Today, we spotlight the banned book Dream Divided by Yavuz Ekinci, who stands trial on 10 November on charges of “terror propaganda” for his work.

#Georgia: We condemn the sentencing of poet and translator Zviad Ratiani to two years in prison and urge an end to the politically motivated prosecutions of protesters in Georgia. Read our joint statement with PEN Georgia ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/georgia...

#Guatemala: We welcome the decision of the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice to overturn the conviction of José Rubén Zamora Marroquín. The new trial must proceed with full independence and without persecution of journalism. cnnespanol.cnn.com/2025/10/06/l...

PEN/Opp marks #BannedBooksWeek with their latest publication Against the Grain: Writing Resistance by Shubigi Rao, a Singaporean artist, writer and filmmaker. Read now ⬇️ penopp.org/articles/aga...

Congratulations to Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai for winning the 2025 Nobel Prize in literature. www.theguardian.com/books/live/2...

For all those attending Frankfurt Book Fair next week, join PEN International, the Young Writers Committee, and the Tomorrow Club for a panel discussion on the future of writing and free expression. #fbm25 @youngwriterspen.bsky.social RSVP link: forms.office.com/pages/respon...

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...

At our 90th Congress in Kraków, Olga Tokarczuk, Nobel laureate and Vice President of PEN International, reflected on how Ukraine’s literary life has not only survived but flourished despite the devastation of war. Watch the full 5 minutes on our website: www.pen-international.org/congress