PEN International released a statement on 21 October 2025 calling on all parties to uphold the ongoing implementation of the drastically overdue ceasefire in Gaza and never allow any resumption of hostilities.
The international community must ensure a permanent end to the genocide in Gaza, a full withdrawal of Israeli forces, unfettered access to humanitarian assistance and medical supplies to the Gaza population, and accountability over all atrocities committed across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) since October 2023.
While Israel’s genocidal war on Palestinians in Gaza has dominated the news this year, PEN’s work continues on a number of serious and challenging fronts around the world. PEN International has released the 2025 Case List titled Identity on Trial: Persecution and Resistance which highlights the increasing persecution of writers based on their identity and the silencing of voices in war zones.
The suppression of free expression is deeply intertwined with war, conflict, and the persecution of marginalised voices, with writers, journalists, and cultural figures often targeted for their identities, resistance, and words. PEN International continues to document these threats.
Ukraine: Since the Russian Federation launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, Russian forces have deliberately targeted Ukraine’s cultural heritage, with UNESCO verifying damage to 476 sites. Journalist Viktoria Roshchyna reportedly died in custody in September 2024 in the Russian Federation. Authorities provided no information about her death. At 30 April, 2025, at least 16,000 Ukrainians, including civilians and prisoners of war, are reportedly detained in the Russian Federation and Russian-occupied Ukraine. An Amnesty International report published in March 2025 documents how Russian authorities systematically subject the detainees to torture, prolonged incommunicado detention, enforced disappearance and other inhumane treatment, which amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. A culture of impunity continues to embolden perpetrators. Russian forces in Ukraine have killed at least 16 journalists while carrying out their professional duties since 24 February 2022. PEN International utterly condemns the violence unleashed by Russian forces against Ukraine and urges the Russian Federation to immediately end the war in Ukraine.
Palestine: Israel’s relentless bombing of Gaza has devastated cultural and media institutions. More than 45,000 Palestinians have been killed, including at least 23 writers, according to PEN International’s research. Schools, universities, libraries, and bookshops have been obliterated, effectively cutting off generations from education and cultural participation.
Sudan and Ethiopia: The ongoing conflicts in both countries have led to mass killings, sexual violence, and widespread attacks on the press. PEN International has received a sharp increase in emergency assistance requests from writers and journalists in these regions.
