PEN Canada envisions a world where
writers are free to write,
readers are free to read,
and freedom of expression prevails
We are giving up our freedoms in the fight against COVID-19. The question is will we get them back? Does freedom – a true freedom of strong precepts rather than meaningless platitudes – interfere with what we must do to survive?
In the early hours of Tuesday, April 14 the Turkish Parliament passed a law that will lead to the release of up to 90,000 prisoners. However, it excludes scores of journalists, human rights defenders, politicians, lawyers and others arbitrarily detained pending trial or serving sentences following unfair trials under Turkey’s overly broad anti-terrorism laws that […]
London, March 31, 2020- The murder of journalist María Elena Ferral shows, once again, the lack of protection for journalists and confirms that Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries to be a journalist, said PEN International and PEN San Miguel de Allende today, and urgently call on the Mexican government to investigate the […]
Amid the global threat posed by COVID-19, Bahraini authorities should release human rights defenders, opposition activists, journalists and all others imprisoned solely for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association, a coalition of 20 rights groups said today. On March 17, 2020, Bahrain completed the release of 1,486 prisoners, 901 of whom […]
Update – 2 April 2020 It is outrageous that India, the world’s most populous democracy, is restricting the free flow of information at a time of a great health crisis. These attacks on the media show that the government and its loud supporters want to control the narrative, and not the virus, which is the real threat […]
The COVID-19 pandemic is a global public health emergency that requires a coordinated and large-scale response by governments worldwide. However, States’ efforts to contain the virus must not be used as a cover to usher in a new era of greatly expanded systems of invasive digital surveillance. We, the undersigned organizations, urge governments to show […]
PEN International is deeply concerned by the decision of the Iranian authorities to suspend the printing and distribution of newspapers. A decree was issued on March 30, citing concerns about the spread of coronavirus, and will remain in place until restrictions related to the pandemic are lifted. ‘Freedom of information is a fundamental human right: now […]
Amid growing concerns over the spread of COVID-19 in prisons, the Turkish government is accelerating the preparation of a draft law that will reportedly release up to 100,000 prisoners. This is a welcome step. Overcrowding and unsanitary facilities already pose a serious health threat to Turkey’s prison population of nearly 300,000 prisoners and about tens […]
Önder Deligöz is a Turkish journalist and author who currently resides in Canada. He was the 2018 PEN Canada Scholar at The Humber School for Writers. Freedom is the biggest burden on the shoulders of an exiled journalist. While his colleagues yearn to see daylight, and their loved ones, again only one thing keeps his […]
PEN Canada is now accepting English language submissions for the RBC/PEN Canada New Voices Award. The annual award aims to encourage new writing and to provide a space where young, unpublished writers can submit short stories, creative non-fiction, journalism, and poetry. A jury of distinguished PEN Canada members will judge the shortlisted submissions and applicants […]
Finding the Words: Writers on Inspiration, Desire, War, Celebrity, Exile, and Breaking the Rules