Promoting literature and defending freedom of expression worldwide since 1921

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Free Maksim Znak, Gui Minhai, Galal El-Behairy, Freddy Antonio Quezada and the 12 Eritrean writers detained since 2001

PEN International launches War, Censorship, and Persecution, its Case List 2023/2024, shining a light on five persecuted writers in dire need of help. Join us in demanding justice and freedom for these brave voices.

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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.

Become a Friend of PEN International today and help us continue our vital work to defend free expression and promote literature worldwide.

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.

Pen International:
An Illustrated History (Hardback)

Since our founding in 1921, we have campaigned on behalf of writers including Federico García Lorca, Wole Soyinka, Salman Rushdie, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, and Svetlana Alexievich.

Told in letters, photographs and maps, this is the extraordinary story of PEN’s role in the struggle against repression, celebrating literature and defending free speech.