Assembly of Delegates of PEN International, meeting virtually at its 87th World Congress, 20 to 25 September 2021 Mass and largely peaceful protests have swept Belarus since the disputed presidential elections of 9 August 2020, which saw Aliaksandr Lukašenka [Alexander Lukashenko] return to a sixth term in office. [1] Protests have been – and continue to Read more about Resolution on Belarus[…]
November 6, 2019 The Russian authorities should drop all charges against Svetlana Prokopyeva, PEN International and PEN Moscow said today, as the journalist is facing a lengthy prison sentence for ‘justifying terrorism’ following comments she made on a radio show. The organisations further call on the Russian authorities to stop harassing and intimidating journalists who Read more about Groundless charges against journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva should be dropped[…]
The Russian authorities must uphold Yuri Dmitriev’s right to a fair and impartial trial, PEN International and St Petersburg PEN said today, ahead of a verdict expected by the end of the year. Yuri Dmitriev, historian and head of the Karelian branch of the human rights centre Memorial, North-Western Russia, stands accused of sexual abuse Read more about Fair trial must be guaranteed for Memorial historian and human rights activist Yuri Dmitriev[…]
Tom Stoppard to Oleg Sentsov Dear Oleg, I’ve been in New York rehearsing a play in which a businessman banishes a journalist from his good graces with the words “You wrote yourself into Siberia!”. What an easy metaphor for an English writer! I came home a couple of days ago and caught up with the Read more about PEN International: Day of the Imprisoned Writer[…]
2 November 2018 – PEN International, the global association of writers dedicated to promoting literature and defending freedom of expression, is proud to welcome five new Centres to the PEN community. PEN Iraq, PEN Perth, PEN Moscow, PEN Cape Verde and PEN Guinea-Bissau were elected on 27 September 2018 at the 84th PEN International Congress Read more about PEN International welcomes five new PEN Centres[…]
Please follow the link to find the report: Russia’s Strident Stifling of Free Speech. Presented October 10, 2018
The letter #1992311 was received by the censors of the IK-8 Labytnangi institution for processing on August 20, 2018. Dear Oleg, We keep thinking about your struggle with awe and sympathize with it. All throughout these one hundred days, members of “The Free Word Association” has been trying to support your demands by individual and Read more about The letter sent by *The Free Word Association* to Oleg Sentsov as part of the *International PEN Club* action devoted to the 100th day of his hunger strike “Marathon of Letters in Support of Oleg Sentsov”[…]
Keeping Score at the 2018 World Cup: Reporting on the dark side of Russia Since 1992, 58 journalists have been murdered in Russia, the majority with total impunity. Today, football teams from around the world will congregate in Russia for the 2018 World Cup. To mark the start of the tournament, PEN International is launching Read more about PEN International: Keeping Score at the 2018 World Cup[…]
Report presented at the PEN International Congress in Lviv, 2017
I begin by thanking PEN Ukraine and PEN International for inviting me to speak today. Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a privilege to be invited to speak at the opening of this International PEN Congress, here in Lviv. Our world is facing new challenges, as the rise of nationalism and xenophobia causes governments around Read more about Philippe Sands’ keynote speech at the 83rd PEN congress in Lviv[…]
The 83rd Congress of the International PEN Club began September 18 in Lviv. Members of the Free Word Association contribute to its work. September 20, three discussions were organized, which focused on the USA, China, and Russia. Serguei Parkhomenko, the member of the FWA action group, presented a paper on the problem of the freedom Read more about Presentation by the Free Word Association at the International PEN Congress[…]
