3 December 2024: PEN International launches an urgent call for donations in the face of increasing numbers of writers in critical need who are seeking emergency support.  

In the joint letter, which you can read in full here, President Burhan Sonmez and Treasurer Eric Lax say: ‘Raising funds for our work is always challenging, and we continue to rely on a small number of generous supporters.  At this time of world crisis, we must ask all of our contacts if you have capacity to make a gift as a much-needed boost…’ 

The letter goes on to state that the charity needs to raise £200,000 before the end of the year to meet current need.  

‘Recent geopolitical events and the general state of the world are alarming, to say the least, and PEN is deeply concerned by the evidential impact on freedom of expression, including the persecution, imprisonment and sometimes murder of writers of all kinds. We know that more and more writers will be turning to us for help, and the requests for our support are already many more than we can respond to.’