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Barack Obama receives PEN America Voice of Influence Award 2020
Barack Obama and the Freedom to Write PEN America’s Virtual Gala this week was a celebration of the power of words. As part of the ceremony, President Barack Obama received the PEN America Voice of Influence Award for “the power of his soaring words, the promises he has unlocked in our nation, and the […]
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Exhibition exploring online misinformation to tour NZ
Tohatoha and InternetNZ to bring ‘The Glass Room’ to Kiwi schools and libraries A globally successful public exhibition that explores how social media and the Internet have changed the way we interact with information online is set to visit New Zealand for the first time, with support from Tohatoha and InternetNZ. Called The Glass Room: […]
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#CreativeWitnesses and #FreeExpression – Pen International film
A PEN International filmed event shares a film called Creative Witnesses, which will be premiered on YouTube on Thursday, 15th October. #CreativeWitnesses and #FreeExpression. It will showcase new and original creative work by musicians and artists, inspired by writers who have been imprisonned, harassed, or even lost their lives because of their commitment to freedom […]
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People’s Communication Commission – FEEDBACK – Pantograph Punch residency
Thank you for taking the time to convey your concerns to the People’s Communications Commission. Use this form to make a complaint about content you have seen or heard from a televised broadcast, cinema/film, radio station, or via Internet Social Media platforms. Have you seen discriminatory content? Submissions to this form close on the 26th […]
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International author community concerned over reports of Hong Kong Book Bans
17TH AUGUST 2020 FREEDOM OF SPEECH, NEWS The International Authors Forum (IAF) is extremely concerned by reports in the BBC News, The Guardian, Global Times and The Wall Street Journal among others that books by Joshua Wong, prominent protester, and Tanya Chan, Hong Kong politician, have been removed from public libraries as the new Chinese Security Law is implemented in Hong Kong. Bans […]
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Joint statement: The decline of press freedom in Hong Kong
Hong Kong has wasted little time in curbing its citizens’ liberties by using the new security law to curtail peaceful speech and protests and arrest critics. This was evidenced last week by the arrest of prominent Hong Kong media owner Jimmy Lai, along with other journalists and activists, as well as sanctions against at least […]
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Behrouz Boochani granted refugee status in New Zealand
Behrouz Boochani granted refugee status The New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa (PEN NZ Inc) is absolutely thrilled to hear of the decision to resettle Behrouz Boochani in Aotearoa. He is a writer of great importance and his activism on behalf of detainees in Australian-run detention centres is to be applauded. […]
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ARRESTING DISSENT: LEGISLATIVE RESTRICTIONS ON THE RIGHT TO PROTEST
Basic democratic rights have increasingly come under siege since the 2016 election, and not just at the federal level. In this report, Arresting Dissent: Legislative Restrictions on the Right to Protest, PEN America shines a spotlight on the proliferation of state-level legislative proposals seeking to limit protest rights. READ THE FULL REPORT » PEN America has documented […]
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45 International Orgs call for release of imprisonment of Kurdish journalist Nedim Turfent
Today, the International Press Institute (IPI), PEN International, Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) and 42 undersigned organisations mark the 1,500th day of Kurdish journalist Nedim Türfent’s imprisonment with a renewed call for his immediate and unconditional release. Türfent, who was predominantly reporting on the Kurdish issues, was detained on May 12, 2016, shortly […]
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Toward a More Just World: A PEN America Statement
June 1, 2020 We wanted to share with you a statement on behalf of PEN America reflecting on the killing of George Floyd and the outrage and sorrow we have experienced in recent days. We welcome your questions, comments, and insights. In solidarity, Jennifer Egan, PEN America President Suzanne Nossel, PEN America CEO As […]
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NEW FREEDOM TO WRITE INDEX – 2019 REVIEW OF IMPRISONED WRITERS
The Freedom to Write Index, PEN America’s first annual global count of writers and public intellectuals unjustly detained or imprisoned worldwide. Covering Jan – Dec 2019, the inaugural Freedom to Write Index shows that at least 238 writers and public intellectuals were imprisoned or held in detention in 2019, facing often brutal treatment and […]
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AMANI: Africa Creative Defence Network launches to defend free speech – PEN
As authoritarian regimes crackdown on dissent, artists and creatives are bearing the brunt of the pressure, finding themselves at risk of threats, harassment, arrest, imprisonment, torture, and even death because of their creative work. This has become only more of a reality during the COVID-19 pandemic, as governments exploit “emergency powers” to silence criticism. […]
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