PEN International closes its 89th Congress: The Truth of Fiction and the Fiction of Reality
04 October: PEN International’s 89th Congress - The Truth of Fiction and the Fiction of Reality - held online from 26 September to September 28, brought together more than 250 writers from over 90 PEN Centres, to explore, question, and challenge the ever-changing concepts of truth and reality in today's world, amidst the rising wave of misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda.
“Today, we need to voice loudly and extoll the word peace. PEN is the place for peace-building, mending fences and fostering harmony between societies. At a time when the name of war is often hidden behind the apparently innocuous term "operation", peace is needed more than ever, not only in Ukraine, Nagorno-Karabakh, Palestine, Sudan and other countries, but also in our own cities, streets and homes”, said Burhan Sonmez, PEN International President
Highlights of this year’s gathering were two online events featuring a line-up of acclaimed literary voices:
TRUTH OF FICTION: Writers Documenting Reality
Our panellists delved into the art of capturing reality through storytelling, highlighting the role of words in shedding light on the world's most pressing issues, and uncovering hidden truths often missed by conventional documentation.
Guest speakers: Philippe Sands, Volodymyr Yermolenko, Mirza Waheed, Christina Lamb.
Moderated by Olha Mukha.
FICTION OF REALITY: Misinformation and Disinformation
Our panellists discussed the impact of dis/misinformation on society, including its role in conflict and its potential to undermine our shared sense of reality, and how it can be addressed while protecting the right to freedom of expression.
Guest speakers: Htaike Htaike Aung, Odanga Madung, Peter Pomerantsev, Shannon Jankowski. Moderated by Salil Tripathi
“In times when we find ourselves unable to speak out, and in many places where writers have limited opportunities to express themselves, the strong voice of solidarity becomes the most important one.” said Burhan Sonmez, PEN International President
Central to the programme was the adoption by PEN Centres of two resolutions on Threats to freedom of expression, peace, and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia (English), (French), (Spanish), and on Criminal defamation and strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPS) (English), (French), (Spanish).
In addition, PEN International, with over 90 PEN Centres, called for the immediate release of all those arbitrarily imprisoned in Iran, because of their peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of expression.
Other significant moments included the admission of PEN Berlin as new Centre, as well as the re-election of Eric Lax as International Treasurer and Urtzi Urrutikoetxea as Chair of PEN International’s Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee; the election of Ege Dündar (English PEN) and Elisha July (PEN Zimbabwe) as Members of the Board at Large, and Gerardo Montoya as a member of PEN International’s Search Committee.
As every year, PEN International honoured absent writers, imprisoned or killed for protecting freedom of expression, with Empty Chairs featuring: Jimmy Lai (China/Hong Kong), Victoria Amelina (Ukraine), Paola Ugaz (Peru), Fessehaye ‘Joshua’ Yohannes (Eritrea), Rahile Dawut (China/Xinjiang), Mahvash Sabet (Iran), Dr. Mohammed Roken (UAE), Innocent Bahati (Rwanda), Dom Phillips (Brazil), and Osman Kavala (Türkiye).
Notes to editors
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