PEN Canada envisions a world where
writers are free to write,
readers are free to read,
and freedom of expression prevails
Today, PEN International with the Courage Foundation, English PEN, German PEN, PEN Melbourne, PEN Norway, PEN Perth, Sydney PEN and other civil society organizations sent an open letter calling for the release of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange. “This indictment effectively opens the door to criminalizing activities that are vital to many investigative journalists who write […]
PEN International and 38 civil society organisations deplore the decision by a Turkish court to ban access to Germany-based online radio station Özgürüz (‘We Are Free’), which is headed by Can Dündar. We call on the Turkish authorities to reverse the decision, to stop the harassment of Dündar and to reform the country’s laws and judicial practice […]
Ahead of the “Platforms of Distortion” panel discussion hosted by the Centre for Free Expression at Ryerson, PEN’s Communications Intern, Kayla Chhin interviewed Matt Bailey, PEN America’s Digital Freedom Program Director. Kayla Chhin: On Twitter, you said that “In 2020, refusing to amplify disinfo is a crucial part of protest and dissent”. Misinformation and false […]
PEN International and Moscow PEN deplore today’s decision by the Moscow Meshchansky Court to convict Kirill Serebrennikov of large-scale fraud in relation to his alleged embezzling of state funds. He was convicted to a three-year suspended prison sentence as well as a sizeable fine and restitution of the alleged damages. ‘Serebrennikov’s conviction is an affront […]
PEN International joins PEN Delhi in concerns over reports of a First Information Report (FIR) being lodged on 18 June 2020 against senior journalist Supriya Sharma, executive editor at Scroll.in, and its chief editor, Naresh Fernandes, who is not named in the FIR. Ms. Sharma recently wrote a series of articles about the impact of the nationwide lockdown […]
PEN International, English PEN and Turkish PEN joined the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights and five other international human rights organizations in calling on the international community to take action and pressure Turkey to release tens of thousands of political prisoners who have been deliberately left out of COVID-19 prison releases: Amidst this pandemic, […]
The undersigned organizations and media outlets support the petition presented on June 8, PEN in Cuba before the National Assembly, the State Council, the Supreme Court, the Office of the Attorney General, and the President of the Republic declaring 2019’s Decree-Law 370 unconstitutional.[1] The 64 people who signed the petition did so on behalf of […]
The sentence served today, June 15, against journalist and writer Maria Ressa, is a severe blow to freedom of expression in the Philippines, PEN International said today. Maria Ressa was sentenced by the Manila Regional Court to a prison term of between six months to six years on charges of ‘cybercrime’ for an article published […]
PEN International calls for the immediate and unconditional release of poet, lawyer and independent journalist Roberto de Jesús Quiñones Haces. In April 2019, he was detained while he was covering a trial for news website CubaNet. Quiñones Haces was released five days later and fined for conduct during his detention allegedly constituting ‘disobedience’ and ‘resistance’. After refusing […]
Mass protests have broken out in every state following the killing of security guard George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25. During these protests, police forces have arrested more than a dozen journalists, and at least 140 attacks against journalists, perpetrated overwhelmingly by police forces, have been reported. We urge President Donald Trump to condemn these acts […]
Finding the Words: Writers on Inspiration, Desire, War, Celebrity, Exile, and Breaking the Rules