Online Event: Freedom of Expression: Repression and Resolve in Belarus, Nicaragua, and Eritrea

Wednesday 24 November 2021
2:00pm to 3:00pm CET
Online event

Freedom of expression is deteriorating globally. 2021 represented another year of violent repression of those seeking to exercise their free expression as states attempted to control narratives and suppress political dissent. Writers and journalists continue to face harassment, violence, criminalisation and even death in the pursuit of their work.

Join us on Wednesday 24 November at 2pm CET for a panel discussion on the situation in Belarus, Nicaragua, and Eritrea – three countries on the UN Human Rights Council’s agenda – and to identify concrete action to protect freedom of expression.

Register here

The event will be chaired by PEN International President Burhan Sonmez and feature Gioconda Belli, Nicaraguan poet and writer, Timnet Gedar, writer, historian and Secretary of PEN Eritrea in Exile and Taciana Niadbaj, poet, translator, Executive Director and Vice President of PEN Belarus.

With introductory remarks by Ambassador Simon Manley, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations and closing remarks by Ambassador Leslie E. Norton, Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations.

Audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions to the panel via Q&A feature during the webinar.

Registration is required to attend this event.

The event is organised by PEN International, and co-sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Canada, the Permanent Mission of the Principality of Liechtenstein, the Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom, the Permanent Mission of Finland and the Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The event will close with an overview of PEN International's Day of the Imprisoned Writer campaign. For more information and to take action, please click here.

For further details contact Aurélia Dondo at PEN International, Koops Mill, 162-164 Abbey Street, London, SE1 2AN, UK Tel: +44 (0) 20 7405 0338 email: [email protected]