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RESOLUTION ON CRIMINAL DEFAMATION AND STRATEGIC LAWSUITS AGAINST PUBLIC PARTICIPATION (SLAPPS)
Proposed by Writers in Prison Committee Seconded by PEN Bangladesh, Croatian PEN, PEN San Miguel, Swedish PEN, and Vietnamese Abroad PEN The Assembly of Delegates of PEN International, meeting virtually at its 89th annual Congress, 26 to 28 September 2023, expresses serious concern over the growing use of criminal defamation charges and Strategic Lawsuits Against […]
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On World Press Freedom Day, PEN International mobilizes in support of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai
PEN INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE 03 May 2023 (London, UK) –To mark the 30th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day (3 May 2023), PEN International, the literary and free expression organisation, mobilizes its Centres in support of imprisoned journalist, media publisher, activist and writer, Jimmy Lai, who is currently facing a potential life sentence for his […]
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Freedom to Write Index 2022
Introduction In May of 2022, at the PEN America emergency writers congress, Salman Rushdie spoke about global threats to human rights and democracy, including Vladimir Putin’s assault on Ukraine, and said: “It has been said, I have said it myself, that the powerful may own the present but writers own the future, for it is […]
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IMPUNITY REIGNS – WRITERS RESIST, PEN INTERNATIONAL LAUNCHES ITS ANNUAL CASE LIST 2022
THE DEADLIEST YEAR FOR PRESS IN THE AMERICAS, AS MEXICO REMAINS ONE OF MOST LETHAL COUNTRIES FOR JOURNALISTS; A TRAGIC ONE FOR EUROPE, AS THE WAR AGAINST UKRAINE RAGES AND TURKEY AND BELARUS AMONG THE WORST JAILERS 21 March 2023 Read Here: the PEN Case List 2022 PROOF 4 1UP PEN International launches […]
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PEN International Women’s Day – March 8
International Women’s Day: Take Action for María Cristina Garrido Rodríguez (Cuba) To mark International Women’s Day 2023, PEN International features the case of Cuban poet and activist María Cristina Garrido Rodríguez, imprisoned since July 2021 for her criticism of the Cuban government, and for participating in the peaceful protests that saw thousands of Cubans […]
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New record number of journalists jailed worldwide A record total of 533 journalists are currently detained worldwide, according to the annual round-up of violence and abuses against journalists published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The number of those killed has increased again this year – to 57– while 65 journalists are being held hostage and […]
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Nominees 2022 RSF Prize
Here is the list of nominees for the 2022 RSF Prize. Fifteen journalists and media outlets from all over the world have been shortlisted for their outstanding and essential work in support of the freedom to inform. Here are the exceptional histories on their website. This year is the 30th edition of this prize. Thirty years […]
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The 88th PEN International Congress in Uppsala – Reports and Resolutions
Dear PEN Centres, At this time in history, PEN International is needed more than ever. Sadly, as Arthur Miller once stated, we won’t live long enough to see that noble day when our cherished organization won’t be needed anymore. But let us continue to strive with all our strength for this day to come and […]
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United Kingdom: Joint letter calling on Home Secretary not to extradite Julian Assange to the US
PEN International joins Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and 14 organisations – including English PEN, PEN Suisse Romand, PEN Sydney, Scottish PEN, Slovene PEN and Swedish PEN – in urging the new UK Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, to intervene in the US government’s request to extradite Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange. These groups, representing press freedom, free […]
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PEN International congratulates French author Annie Ernaux on winning this year’s Nobel Prize for Literature
06 October The 82-year-old writer from Normandy was awarded the prize for the courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements and collective restraints of personal memory. Her autobiographical novels, including Cleaned Out and A Frozen Woman, explore notions of sexuality, social inequality, and class. While her non-fiction texts including A Man’s Place and Shame explore the depths of […]
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Witi Ihimaera on National Radio
Witi Ihimaera on National Radio This weekend the New Zealand Society of Authors will mark the 50th birthday of Witi Ihimaera’s groundbreaking collections of short stories, first published in 1972. Bryan Crump spoke to Witi July 26 ahead of the celebration. LISTEN HERE Link to Auckland roadshow information HERE
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Pen America at 100: A Reading List
This year is PEN America’s 100th anniversary, and to celebrate, we have a new reading list highlighting members of the organization who have produced some of the most influential works of the past century. What began in the aftermath of World War I as an American literary club with the intent of providing intellectual […]
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