PEN Canada envisions a world where
writers are free to write,
readers are free to read,
and freedom of expression prevails
Much anticipated curbing of libel law to take place soon in Sierra Leone If the will of pressure groups, especially stakeholders in literary circles, meets the will of the government of Sierra Leone, the country will soon reach a freedom of expression milestone, reflecting the country’s national motto: “Unity, Freedom and Justice”. There are great […]
Haiti: human rights under threat In September 2018, the Haitian government appointed a Minister for human rights and ending extreme poverty. The Haitian interministerial committee on human rights developed a national action plan to strengthen human rights. On April 3 2019, during its statement on the situation in Haiti to the Security Council in New York, the United […]
The Turkish authorities must drop all charges against award-winning writer Aslı Erdoğan, who faces up to nine years and four months in prison for her writings, PEN International said today, ahead of an expected verdict on February 14 2020. Aslı Erdoğan was detained in August 2016 following a police raid on her apartment. She was […]
The prosecution of Québécois writer Yvan Godbout for the ‘production of child pornography’ in relation to scenes in his novel Hansel & Gretel, and his editor, Éditions ADA inc., for the ‘production and distribution of child pornography’, represents a significant test of the protection of freedom of expression in Quebec and Canada more broadly, said PEN […]
PARIS DECLARATION ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION CONFRONTED WITH HATE SPEECH Writers for Peace Committee Supported by PEN Club Français unanimously adopted at the meeting of the Writers for Peace Committee Paris, France, January 21st, 2020 * We have never forgotten. Five years have passed since the triple attack of January 2015 in Paris, the attack […]
To commemorate Human Rights Day, PEN International and PEN Centres are launching an essay series and holding events on human rights issues across the globe. The sword’s struggle to weaken the pen in Nigeria Nigeria has, in recent months, been making headlines worldwide for its government’s crass disregard for democratic principles. The government professes alliance to democratic […]
We, the undersigned press freedom and civil liberties organisations, emphatically condemn the Brazilian authorities’ criminal charges against the award-winning investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald.
To commemorate Human Rights Day, PEN International and PEN Centres are launching an essay series and holding events on human rights issues across the globe. Malawi has made relative strides as far as freedom of expression is concerned, given a past in which it was deemed taboo to discuss the government – be it in […]
At least 117 journalists are currently behind bars in Turkey. These are more than just numbers. They are people with families whose lives have been shattered simply for peacefully expressing their views. No one should be imprisoned for exercising their right to freedom of expression’, said Aaliya Ahmed, International Programmes Director at PEN International. Freedom of expression in […]
Zimbabwe’s “new dispensation” fails to curb human rights abuses by Desmond Kumbuka (PEN Zimbabwe) When President Emmerson Mnangagwa was sworn in as Zimbabwe’s new leader on November 24, 2017, one of the key expectations was an immediate end to the impunity and systematic human rights abuses that had become institutionalised under his predecessor President Robert […]
Finding the Words: Writers on Inspiration, Desire, War, Celebrity, Exile, and Breaking the Rules