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Give back this Black Friday!
Every year, PEN International receives far more requests for support than we have the capacity or resources to meet - from writers facing persecution, censorship, threats to their livelihoods, and even their lives.
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A message from the PEN International Team, on Give Back Friday!
Each year on the Day of the Imprisoned Writer, PEN International honours writers who are unjustly detained or persecuted for their words. From 15 November to 10 December, we stand in solidarity with four courageous voices who continue to speak truth in the face of repression: Rory Branker (Venezuela), Yalqun Rozi (China), Mohamed Tadjadit (Algeria), and Mzia Amaglobeli (Georgia).
Day of the Imprisoned Writer 2025
#DayoftheImprisonedWriter #MohamedTadjadit #YalqunRozi #MziaAmaglobeli #RoryBranker
Critical Junctures: Safeguarding the Freedom to Create in Poland
PEN International publishes its new report, Critical Junctures: Safeguarding the Freedom to Create in Poland, documenting the challenges to freedom of expression and cultural rights in the country between 2015 and 2025 while recognising the resilience of writers, journalists and civil society under mounting political pressure, and offering clear recommendations for reform.
Identity on Trial: Persecution and Resistance
PEN International is proud to launch Identity on Trial: Persecution and Resistance – its Case List 2025, which highlights the increasing persecution of writers based on their identity. This year’s report documents the alarming rise in censorship, imprisonment, and threats faced by writers due to their gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or religious beliefs. It underscores a disturbing global trend: those who dare express their identity or challenge dominant narratives are being silenced through legal threats, censorship, and violence.
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Freedom of expression is deteriorating worldwide giving way to a rise in hate speech and oppressive legislation which threatens the lives and wellbeing of all kinds of writers, inc. poets, novelists, and journalists, as well as publishers. Meanwhile, writers, particularly women and those from marginalised communities, still need equal access and representation within the literary and civic spaces.
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About us
We believe in everyone’s freedom to write and read, wherever they are in the world. Founded in 1921, today PEN International is recognised as the world’s foremost association of writers, as well as a leading international charity and expert on freedom of expression.