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Image credit: Solmaz Daryani/ Shutterstock 15 August 2026: Five years on from the Taliban’s return to power, Afghanistan’s writers, journalists and independent voices continue to face severe repression. As European governments consider closer cooperation with the Taliban on returns, PEN International and PEN Centres are calling for an approach that puts human rights, freedom of expression and the…
Image credit: AP/ Alamy ‘Five years after the Taliban seized Kabul, Afghanistan's writers continue to pay an extraordinary price for their words, while women and girls remain trapped under an all-encompassing system of gender-based oppression. As some governments move to normalise relations with the Taliban, the international community risks abandoning those it has a duty to protect.…
Image credit: Shutterstock 12 August 2026 - Civil society organisations have submitted evidence to the United Nations demonstrating the worsening hostility against the independent press in Venezuela. The risks associated with exercising the right to freedom of expression have reached unprecedented levels, including the imprisonment of 26 media workers in 2025 alone. The submissions by ARC -…
Image Credit: LT/Alamy ‘Booksellers are indispensable to a free and open society. They ensure that ideas and information remain accessible, even when those ideas are uncomfortable to those in power. The repeated targeting of independent bookstores in Hong Kong has a chilling effect that reaches writers, publishers, and readers alike,’ said Ma Thida, Chair of PEN International's Writers in Prison…
Image Credit: Oleksandr Polonskyi/Shutterstock ‘We stand with the fearless Belarusian cultural figures who continue to create in the most challenging circumstances – both at home and in exile. On this fateful day, we reiterate calls on the international community to do everything in its power to support Belarusian culture and to ensure justice and accountability,’ said Ma Thida, Chair of PEN…
Image Credit: Selfie of José Gabriel Barrenechea Chávez ‘The Cuban authorities continue to persecute writers, artists, and journalists for expressing their views. The confirmation of José Gabriel Barrenechea Chávez’s six-year prison sentence is another reminder that critical voices continue to be criminalised in Cuba,’ said Ma Thida, Chair of PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee 4…
Image Credit: Dany Bejar photography / Shutterstock ‘The appalling crimes against journalists in Mexico are not isolated, but part of a pattern that threatens freedom of expression itself. Journalists must be able to work without fear of violence. The Mexican Government have an obligation to ensure that every attack is investigated promptly, independently and thoroughly, that those responsible are…
Image Credit: eskystudio/Shutterstock ‘Freedom of expression cannot flourish in a context where journalists, writers and other cultural actors are systematically stigmatised, excluded from public spaces, or portrayed as enemies of the official narrative. Public officials have a responsibility to foster an environment in which the press can carry out its work freely, independently, and safely,’…
Image Credit: imageBROKER.com /Alamy ‘The situation in Serbia is at breaking point. PEN International stands with the myriad writers who continue to be harassed by the authorities and pro-government trolls merely for daring to speak out. The international community must redouble efforts to put an end to this relentless crackdown. We must not forget that without freedom of expression, there can be…
Image credit: OPgrapher via Shutterstock 21 July 2026: PEN International is joining organisations and advocates around the world in calling on the Thai authorities to halt the forcible return of Chinese journalist Bai Zhaodong to China, where he faces a grave risk of persecution and serious human rights violations. We urge Thailand to ensure his safety and facilitate his transfer to a safe third…
