Shameful new lows reached for human rights in Scotland. A blatant and ironic assault on freedom of expression & the right to protest. Mentioning the names of the 20,000 plus Palestinian children murdered by Israel now leads to arrest. We denounce the actions of Police Scotland! #FreePalestine

EXCLUSIVE: A Scottish pro-Palestine activist is facing charges for 'threatening and abusive behaviour' after reading a poem about children killed by Israel

Mentioning the 20,000 children murdered by Israel has now become an arrestable offence in Scotland. The bleak irony of this Orwellian attack on freedom of expression is blatant. We denounce this further slide into fascism & demand the rights of activists & writers be upheld.

Today marks 105 months since the brutal assassination of #DaphneCaruanaGalizia Scottish PEN is monitoring the trial of Yorgen Fenech, happening now, the man charged with ordering her murder. We stand in solidarity with Daphne's family to demand #JusticeForDaphne @peninternational.bsky.social

Scottish PEN is a non-religious organisation, but we applaud the Pope's emphasis on writing as an act of humanity: "Without such empathy, there can be no solidarity, sharing, compassion, or mercy." Amen to this. www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...

Nearly 9 years after the brutal assassination of #DaphneCaruanaGalizia in Malta, the man accused of organising & financing her murder finally goes on trial. Scottish PEN will be watching proceedings closely as we continue to campaign for #JusticeForDaphne

July. Summer on the island muffles in scarves. Merino-socked, Berghaus-booted, swap cocoon of car for hilly slither… —Nikki Robson, “The Callanish Stones” from Other Worlds: An Anthology of Scottish Island Poems (Birlinn, 2022) #WyrdWednesday #poem #poetry birlinn.co.uk/2022/06/20/p...

Scottish PEN supports this campaign @theactionnetwork.bsky.social letter: Pressure the University of Glasgow to waive Mohammad's fees and secure his safe evacuation. Write one here & share this post: actionnetwork.org/letters/pres...

104 months ago today #DaphneCaruanaGalizia was assassinated in Malta. Why? For holding power to account. 104 months on & we're still fighting for justice. The fight goes on.

Scottish PEN echoes Amnesty's alarm at the proscription of Palestine Action. Direct action is not terrorism and today's decision marks yet another slide into authoritarianism, with the State's clampdown on dissent a further threat to our freedom of expression & right to protest.

Scottish PEN is incensed by yesterday's miscarriage of justice. Preventing genocide is enshrined in international & UK law, yet 4 young activists have been given lengthy prison sentences for doing exactly this. We condemn the abuse of the law to serve Zionist interests. #FreePalestine

Freedom of expression & the right to protest are our basic human rights. Scottish PEN resists attempts to criminalise opposition to genocide & stands in solidarity with the people of Palestine. Opposing genocidal terrorism is a moral duty, not an option. www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/...

Marion Cleland Lochhead (1902–1985) was born #OTD, 19 April, in Wishaw. A founding member of @scottishpen.bsky.social, Lochhead was a versatile figure of the 20th-century Scottish literary scene. 👇“Painted Things”, by Marion Lochhead, from Painted Things & Other Poems (Gowans & Grey, 1929) #poetry

“Bide the storm ye canna hinder” Jenni Calder on Helen Cruickshank (1886–1975): poet, author, founder member of the Saltire Society, Hon Sec of @scottishpen.bsky.social, & linchpin of the 20th-century Scottish renaissance – born #OTD, 15 May 1/4 www.thebottleimp.org.uk/2020/12/hele...

Dr Candice Goucher’s lecture, given in 2021 for the @scottishpen.bsky.social Writers for Peace Committee, celebrates the life, poetry & activism of Helen Cruickshank, & explores how the themes of her work resonate for writers today #poetry 4/4 www.youtube.com/watch?v=byrj...

Police Scotland used Orwellian methods to monitor & surveil anti-genocide activists prior to Trump's arrival in Scotland last year, tracking vehicles & conducting excessive bail checks. This seriously undermines our right to protest & freedom of expression. @scotnational.bsky.social

Israel issues forced displacement orders for five towns, villages in south Lebanon - https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/israel-issues-forced-displacement-orders-five-towns-villages-south

Israeli nationalists chant ‘death to Arabs’ in violent Jerusalem Day march

PLEASE SHARE 🙏 Visit us & @aowensarchive.bsky.social this June 2026! Tours by Custodian @sorchadallas.bsky.social: 5, 13, 19 & 26 June, 11am. Book via link in bio/Eventbrite.

“ICE’s use of Palantir systems now means agency officials effectively have a list of 20 million people readily accessible on their iPhones” Make sure this doesn't happen in the UK. Stop Palantir: https://notopalantir.goodlawproject.org/email-to-target/stop-palantir-in-the-nhs/

From Nakba to genocide: A Gaza grandmother’s lifetime of loss and resilience - https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/nakba-genocide-gaza-grandmothers-lifetime-loss-and-resilience

Violence, trauma and rising crime rates: How Israel's wars of aggression are hitting home - https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/how-israels-wars-aggression-are-hitting-home

Scottish PEN endorses the campaign to Defend Our Juries - Take action here: www.defendourjuries.net

Today marks 8 and a half years since the assassination of the investagative journalist #DaphneCaruanaGalizia in Malta. We demand full justice for her killing & stand in solidarity with Daphne's family and our colleagues in Malta. #JusticeForDaphne #JournalismIsNotACrime

Scottish PEN stands in solidarity with all those arrested today and condemns the ongoing attacks on freedom of expression and the right to protest. The erosion of civil liberties & the criminalisation of those standing in opposition to genocide must be opposed at every level and always.

Massive Attack frontman Robert Del Naja has been arrested on suspicion of showing support for a proscribed organisation after attending a mass protest against the ban on Palestine Action in London

Industry bodies have condemned Israeli strikes that killed three journalists in a single day, including one in a targeted strike

Update❗ The pre-trial detention of Ahmed Douma has been extended by a further 15 days in relation to his writings and online expression. This continued detention is arbitrary and unjust. We reiterate our call for his immediate and unconditional release. www.pen-international.org/news/egypt-p...

President Donald Trump’s apocalyptic warning that Iran's “whole civilization will die tonight” is a threat to commit war crimes and may constitute a threat to commit genocide. The international community must take urgent action to avert an impending catastrophe. Read more 👇

Our investigation in Byline Times exposes a network of global ultra-conservative groups using courts to target trans healthcare. https://bylinetimes.com/2026/04/02/how-the-us-christian-right-and-anti-abortion-lobbyists-are-reshaping-nhs-policy/

I wished a poet a happy birthday on World Poetry Day, then spent the day being more of a dad than a poet. But! Here’s one I prepared earlier, if you like poetry. Or the world. Or days. www.brokensleepbooks.com/product-page...

Crown prosecutors have binned terror charges against a Scottish man alleged to have supported Palestine Action at a Gaza rally. The decision, thought to be a UK first, should 'start a precedent' and see other cases thrown out as well, he said www.thenational.scot/news/2595575...

Interesting: The UK’s three national human rights institutions have warned that weakening protections under the European Convention on Human Rights would risk the rights of everyone in the country👇 🔗 www.heraldscotland.com/news/2594907... via @heraldscotland.bsky.social

ARTICLE 19 welcomes the news that human rights defenders Nasta Lojka & Marfa Rabkova and journalist Katsiaryna Andreeva are among 250 prisoners released in Belarus. But this does not signal a change in repressive policies. All political prisoners must be freed. www.article19.org/resources/be...

📣 We welcome the release of journalist, writer, and poet Kaciaryna Andrejeva and many others after years behind bars in #Belarus. There must be full accountability for the violations they suffered. #FreeThemAll www.rferl.org/a/washington...

#Lithuania: Index and other organisations have raised serious concerns about proposed amendments to the country's public service media law. The current draft risks undermining the independence and sustainability of the national broadcaster, LRT⬇️ www.ebu.ch/news/2026/03...

"At the moment, my life is all black. I thought I’d reached the bottom. But I was wrong, it wasn’t the bottom." Marfa Rabkova wrote these words from prison to her husband. Now, she is finally free. She should never have been imprisoned in #Belarus. www.indexoncensorship.org/campaigns/le...

PEN International is deeply saddened by the passing of dedicated writer and advocate Joel Pablo Salud, former PEN Philippines board member and Writers in Prison Committee Chair. Our heartfelt condolences to his family and colleagues at PEN Philippines. www.rappler.com/people/obitu...

One of the many benefits of giving @ruthaylett.bsky.social and my novel an astronomical title is that there's an excuse to promote it twice a year! Do check out the excellent @stairwellbooks.bsky.social for Equinox and its sequel, Solstice. www.stairwellbooks.co.uk/product/equi...

Guinea has banned 40 political parties, a blow to political freedoms and free expression. ARTICLE 19 calls on the govt to reverse the ban and uphold obligations under the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, the ICCPR + Guinea’s constitution. www.article19.org/resources/gu...

EXCLUSIVE: A Scottish man who was charged with terrorism after allegedly showing support for Palestine Action has had his case thrown out in what is thought to be a UK first

A shocking new investigation by Index reveals that Emily (not her real name), a school librarian in Greater Manchester, faced disciplinary action after stocking the book Men Who Hate Women. Nearly 200 books were targeted. 1/4 By @katiedd.bsky.social

Happy spring equinox to those of us in the north! This day always makes me think of this poem by e.e. cummings

📣 We welcome reports that #ValeryjaKaściuhova is among those released from prison in #Belarus. Thank you to everyone who stood with her on #InternationalWomensDay, collective action makes a difference! www.pen-international.org/our-campaign...

101 months ago today, #DaphneCaruanaGalizia was assassinated in Malta because she spoke truth to power. Scottish PEN stands in solidarity with Daphne's family & all those fighting for justice for her murder. #JusticeForDaphne @peninternational.bsky.social @irishpen.bsky.social

Celebrate IWD with Scottish PEN this coming Tuesday evening in Edinburgh with Nada Shawa and readings of imprisoned women writers from UniEd Creative Writing students

#UK: We join @indexoncensorship.org and others in urging the UK government to ensure the BBC World Service has the funding it needs to continue its vital work across the globe. Read our joint letter 🔽 www.pen-international.org/news/open-le...

Join Scottish PEN for IWD event Woman of Courage and Endurance: Scottish-Gazan poet Nada Shawa, plus Uni-Ed Creative Writing students read the work of imprisoned international women writers and some of their own. MARCH 10th, 7pm, Edinburgh Futures Centre rm 2.55. Free tickets, tinyurl.com/5c7e5vcf

"In states that once focused mainly on health care and sports for transgender minors, debates now revolve around the validity of transgender identity." Because it was never about sports. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/u... Bypass here: archive.ph/jUvSO

From tomorrow, we’ll share poems celebrating Indigenous and Minoritised languages worldwide as @pen-tlrc.bsky.social launches its 6th Video-Poem Marathon for International Mother Language Day. Explore last year’s video-poems: www.pen-international.org/tlrc #MotherLanguageDay #TLRCMarathon