Dear friends and colleagues,
It was both inspiring and heartwarming to see so many familiar and new faces at the 91st PEN International Congress, held in September in Kraków. The gathering reminded us once again of the strength and diversity of the PEN community, united by our shared commitment to defending freedom of expression and supporting writers around the world.
One of the most meaningful moments for me was the opening of the Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) meeting, made possible through the generous collaboration of ICORN (the International Cities of Refuge Network). The session, titled “Writers in Exile: Challenges and Responses”, set the tone for thoughtful and urgent discussions that followed throughout the week.
The panel, expertly moderated by Helge Lunde, Executive Director of ICORN, brought together four remarkable voices: Kholoud Charaf (Syrian poet, PEN Germany), Rabigul Erkmen (Uyghur writer and ICORN resident), Dominika Karsprowiz (Director, Villa Decius), and Ross Holder (Head of Asia/Pacific, PEN International).
Kholoud and Rabigul spoke candidly about the difficulties and uncertainties of living and writing in exile, while also sharing their creative resilience and the solidarity that sustains them. Their stories made a profound impact on all who attended, reminding us why the protection of writers and the defence of free expression remain at the core of PEN’s mission. Dominika and Ross concentrated on the difficulties they encounter with their institutional missions, centred on assisting writers at risk, especially as tightening immigration policies worldwide and funding cuts have begun to affect their work. The discussion also emphasized even more how vital our collective efforts are within the WiPC. It encouraged us to reflect on the progress made – and the work still ahead – to ensure that every writer, regardless of circumstance, can live and write freely and safely. Helge’s longterm role at the helm of ICORN helped ensure that every panellist had the opportunity to share their insights and experiences.
The WiPC’s Resolution on freedom of expression in the United States was strongly welcomed by participants, as the current developments in that context are already highly alarming. I would like to encourage everyone to promote the resolution and include its recommendations in their respective campaigning and advocacy activities.
I would like to outline the procedure for submitting resolutions to our Committee. Owing to administrative requirements, including the necessary time for translation, all Centres have been reminded to submit their proposed resolutions by July at the latest, in preparation for the Congress held in September each year.
As in Oxford, I presented the Centres’ updates through the attached PowerPoint presentation, which was prepared based on the responses received. Unfortunately, the number of responses this year was almost half of those received last year. Despite the lower response rate, the overall results remain comparable and encouraging. The majority of responding Centres continue to implement nearly all of our core activities, especially our annual Day of the Imprisoned Writer campaign, Empty Chairs, the PEN International Case List and our Congress resolutions in campaigning and advocacy.
Understandably, only 54.5% of the responding Centres are currently involved in protection work. This area requires substantial resources, including financial and human capacity, as well as cooperation from respective governments. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that 63.3% of individual Centres reported active engagement with the Secretariat’s protection initiatives. Strengthening this collaboration will be crucial to enhancing the effectiveness of our overall protection efforts.
Less than half of the responding Centres are currently participating in country-specific action groups. Encouraging broader participation in such coordinated advocacy groups could enhance collective learning and improve our overall impact.
The proposed future activities submitted by the responding Centres cover a wide and interesting range of initiatives, as detailed in the attached file. Among these, the proposal to strengthen internal PEN network communication and coordination mechanisms stands out as especially noteworthy. I find this initiative particularly encouraging, as I have long been an advocate for improving internal communication within our network.
The results of the Protection Survey are also noteworthy. Although the overall response rate was not high, it is important to highlight that almost all Centres actively engaged in protection work responded to the survey. Their valuable input is greatly appreciated and provides a strong foundation for future planning and collaboration in this area. In this section, I do not wish to present an overload of data. Instead, I encourage everyone to review the Protection Work Survey presentation attached to this report. The data provided there will help us better understand both our current capacities and the areas where further support and development are needed.
Following this, we moved on to a series of thematic presentations: PEN International’s Campaigning Handbook, presented by Aurélia Dondo; UN Human Rights Council Challenges, presented by Ross Holder; Key Congress Resolutions from Previous Years, presented by me; Effective Resolution Practices, presented by Elisabeth Löfgren, who shared how PEN Sweden developed and implemented resolutions successfully, serving as an excellent example of best practice.
After the presentations, participants engaged in small group discussions to explore future strategies and activities. Four groups met in Kraków, moderated by Ross Holder, Aurélia Dondo, Elisabeth Löfgren and me, while one online group brought together other members of our Steering Committee, Tomiça Bajsić, Karin Karlekar, and Diane Alméras.
Both the in-person and online discussions generated a variety of valuable ideas and suggestions, including proposals to: develop new strategies to increase public awareness; amplify the voices of writers through greater media engagement; engage policymakers, emphasizing the significance of writers and freedom of expression; utilize the power of honorary awards to attract media attention and public engagement; expand outreach to broader audiences and build alliances beyond PEN. The online group proposed to invite exiled writers to speak on relevant issues; establish coordinating mechanisms or regional hubs to facilitate internal communication among Centres; explore advocacy strategies such as offering writing fellowships and short-term residencies. These discussions provided a strong foundation for identifying future directions and reinforcing collaborative efforts across the PEN network.
After Congress, our WiPC Steering Committee will continue to hold regular online meetings. Steering Committee members include Diane Alméras (PEN Chile), Karin Karlekar (PEN America), Elisabeth Löfgren (PEN Sweden), Mark Klenk (PEN Austria), and Tomica Bajsić (PEN Croatia). I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the team —your commitment, enthusiasm, and effective dedication to the Steering Committee, as well as the expertise and support from the Secretariat, especially Aurélia Dondo, Ross Holder, Sabrina Bravi, and Romana Cacchioli, which are essential to the WiPC’s work.Following the recent Congress, there is positive news regarding ongoing initiatives and recognition of PEN’s work.
Mozambican writer, poet, editor, and publisher, Alex Barga was acquitted of preposterous charges following two court rulings on 8 and 15 September 2025. Barga spent nine months
in unlawful detention.
On 22 September 2025, British-Egyptian writer and prominent activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah was released from prison following a presidential pardon issued by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, alongside five other detainees. This long-overdue release marks the end of nearly six years of arbitrary imprisonment and has been widely welcomed by the international community.
Paola Ugaz, a PEN case from Peru, received a special award on 8 October 2025 at the Cabot Prizes, which honours bold reporting across the Americas.
On 10 November 2025, the 23rd High Criminal Court in Istanbul dismissed the case against writer Yavuz Ekinci, who faced years in prison on terror propaganda grounds for his book Rüyası Bölünenler (Dream Divided).Additionally, I participated in the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival on 31 October 2025 in Bali, Indonesia, as part of a panel on persecuted writers. The panel notably featured Ege Dündar (Board member, PEN International), Khrishna Sen (PEN Perth), and Peter Greste (Australian author, journalist, and honorary member of PEN Perth), and presented three Empty Chair cases (Pham Doan Trang [Vietnam], Dong Yuyu [China], Arnon Nampha [Thailand]). This marks the second year of collaboration between the WiPC and a major Asian literary festival, showcasing PEN’s commitment to supporting persecuted writers and those at risk worldwide.
The WiPC continues to focus on global advocacy efforts for writers and publishers facing persecution. As part of these ongoing initiatives, here are some recent and upcoming activities:
- Campaign for Gui Minhai: Work has already been undertaken on a campaign marking the 10th anniversary of the abduction of Chinese-Swedish writer and publisher Gui Minhai, which took place on 17 November 2025.
- PEN Chile: The Centre is pursuing official recognition of its WiPC calendar date, 16 September, as a National Day of Freedom of Expression.
- PEN Austria: The team is translating the Campaigning Handbook into German and has begun collaboration with a network of community colleges to expand outreach and education.
- PEN America and PEN Sweden: both Centres are preparing activities to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 2001 crackdown on free media in Eritrea, when writer Dawit Isaak and several of his colleagues were detained.
The success of our recent initiatives underscores the importance of sustained collaboration across all PEN centres. To build on this momentum, I urge each Centre to continue its exemplary work and actively participate in forthcoming campaigns, notably the Day of the Imprisoned Writer scheduled for 15 November. I also encourage you all to mobilize resources and amplify fundraising efforts to secure additional financial assistance for writers at risk, particularly those operating under the most repressive regimes. We need to foster a culture of solidarity among centres, sharing best practices, resources, and moral encouragement to sustain resilience in the face of ongoing threats.
As part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen PEN’s protection work and the activities of the Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC), we kindly ask for your collaboration in completing the following two important surveys:
- WiPC 2025 Survey on how the PEN movement responds to writers at risk
- Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) Survey 2025.
Your continued dedication is vital to safeguarding freedom of expression worldwide. Let us remain steadfast, collaborative, and supportive of one another as we advance these critical objectives.
Yours,
Thida
Chair, Writers in Prison Committee
Post-Congress 2025 WiPC Chair Report – English
PEN International 91st Congress WiPC Meeting – UN Human Rights Council
