#Belarus: We vehemently condemn the authorities’ decision to criminalise the activities of @penbelarus.bsky.social and scores of publishers amid an ever-growing crackdown on the cultural sector. #StandWithBelarus
Read our statement ⬇️
www.pen-international.org/news/belarus...
We join @penamerica.bsky.social in strongly condemning the labelling of PEN Belarus as ‘extremist formation’, yet another brazen attack on the country’s cultural sector. #StandWithBelarus
A letter can remind someone in prison that they are not forgotten. 💌
Belarusian writer, editor and political scientist Valeryja Kaściuhova is imprisoned for speaking truth to power.
Send her a message of solidarity today: www.pen-international.org/our-campaign...
From 8 - 20 March, join us as we stand with imprisoned Belarusian writer #ValeryjaKaściuhova, serving a 10-year sentence on politically motivated charges.
She must be released immediately and unconditionally.
www.pen-international.org/our-campaign...
#IWD26
Thank you for taking action!
Tomorrow, at the London Book Fair 2026, our International Secretary, Arne Svingen joins “Coalitions for the Future” for a discussion on how reading initiatives and cross-sector alliances can push back against growing restrictions on free expression.
www.londonbookfair.co.uk/en-gb/confer...
#InternationalWomensDay: Imagine being behind bars just for being a woman who writes and speaks out. The Belarusian authorities must release #ValeryjaKaściuhova immediately and unconditionally and ensure she has access to medical care while detained. #IWD26
www.pen-international.org/our-campaign...
Today marks the UK launch of the Safety of Journalists 2026 report, bringing together key organisations to discuss issues including media capture, transnational repression, and the political dimensions of the findings.
Read the full report ⬇️
www.pen-international.org/news/press-f...
#UKMFF2026.
PEN International is at the Media Freedom Forum today, connecting with partners and allies across the media freedom movement.
Thanks to International Bar Association, The Foreign Policy Centre and Justice for Journalists Foundation.
#UKMediaFreedomForum #UKMFF2026.
#Belarus: PEN International condemns the authorities’ decision to declare PEN Belarus an ‘extremist formation’, which carries the risk of criminal prosecution. We stand in full solidarity with colleagues in their mission to uphold free expression and cultural rights.
penbelarus.org/en/2026/03/0...
#Iran: PEN International condemns all breaches of international law amid escalating hostilities across the Middle East and is gravely concerned by mounting civilian casualties in Iran and across the region.
Read our full statement ⬇️
www.pen-international.org/news/iran-pe...
Today, @pen-tlrc.bsky.social shares a poem by Randy Morin (@pencanada.bsky.social): tâpwe miywâsin pimâtisiwin — “Truly, life is beautiful” in nēhiyawēwin (Cree).
Cree is the most widely spoken Indigenous language in Canada, with 86,000+ speakers from Alberta to Labrador.
youtu.be/WHfRriGJ3As
We’re pleased to join Frankfurter Buchmesse (@buchmesse.de) at The London Book Fair next week for the session “Whose Stories Shape Tomorrow? Introducing the Young Voices Network.”
🗓 10 March | 17:15–18:15
📍 International Stage
Find out more: www.londonbookfair.co.uk/en-gb/confer...
#China: Writer and PEN member Zan Aizong has been sentenced to three years in prison after taking part in a peaceful memorial for Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo.
PEN International calls for his immediate and unconditional release. Full statement ⬇️
www.pen-international.org/news/china-p...
Established at our 48th Congress in 1986, World Writers’ Day honours the courage to write and the solidarity that protects it.
As writers face imprisonment, exile, censorship, and violence for speaking the truth, we stand with them and defend freedom of expression.
#Belarus: We join @penbelarus.bsky.social and partners in urging the authorities to stop confiscating and destroying the manuscripts and letters of those imprisoned on politically-motivated grounds, and to fully uphold cultural rights.
Read our statement ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/belarus...
We’re hiring a Fundraising Officer 🌍✍️
This is a part-time (3 days/week), remote role within our Development team, ideal for someone with UK charity fundraising experience who wants to make a real international impact.
More details: www.pen-international.org/join-our-team
@indexoncensorship.org @globalfreemedia.bsky.social
@insinews.bsky.social @rorypecktrust.bsky.social
@ebu.ch
CC: @cartooningforpeace.bsky.social @europeanjournalists.org @ifjglobal.bsky.social
@article19.bsky.social @pressfreedom.bsky.social
@ecpmf.bsky.social @aejbelgium.bsky.social
📑 We’re in Brussels for the launch of the 2026 report of @coemediafreedom.bsky.social. Press freedom in Europe remains under sustained pressure, driven by legal threats, attempts at media capture and transnational repression.
Read the full report ⬇️
www.pen-international.org/news/press-f...
⏲️ Europe Press Freedom Report available in 2 hours!
✅Data, analysis from 15 press freedom organisations and testimonies
Stay tuned to follow the live presentation at 10am CET👇
go.coe.int/LjTes
#EuropeForFreeMedia
Today’s poem from @pen-tlrc.bsky.social is “Dzigbɔɖi – La patience” in Éwé, from Hola Gomado by PEN Togo.
Spoken in Togo, Ghana & Benin, Éwé is a tonal language of around 6 million speakers, rooted in oral tradition and written with an adapted Latin alphabet.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPhF...
CC: @amnesty.org @frontlinedefenders.bsky.social @ifex.org
On #WorldNGODay, we celebrate NGOs advancing human rights and accountability. Their voices must be heard at the UN.
We’ve signed a joint NGO letter urging ECOSOC Member States to back candidates who protect civil society access.
www.pen-international.org/news/interna...
#OpenTheDoors2NGOs
#China #HongKong: A Hong Kong court has overturned the 2022 fraud conviction for #JimmyLai. However, he remains imprisoned under the National Security Law. We reiterate our call for his immediate and unconditional release.
Read our full update ⬇️
www.pen-international.org/news/china-h...
For over two decades, 12 Eritrean journalists have been held without charge, without trial, without contact. Today at the Africa Media Festival, with @pressfreedom.bsky.social, we bring this urgent conversation to the stage.
Learn about each case: www.pen-international.org/our-campaign...
#Belarus: We condemn the labelling of @penbelarus.bsky.social digital platform as ‘extremist materials’ and reiterate our full solidarity with colleagues in their quest to promote and protect Belarusian culture, language, and identity.
penbelarus.org/en/
On the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we honour voices that bear witness. At the PEN Congress in Kraków, Volodymyr Yermolenko, President of PEN Ukraine, spoke with @smohyeddin.bsky.social on literature’s role in documenting loss.
▶️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDL5...
Today’s poem from @pen-tlrc.bsky.social is in Arpitan (Franco-Provençal), a Romance language spoken around Mont Blanc in Italy, western Switzerland, and southeastern France.
Though officially recognised, it remains endangered.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJjy...
#Ukraine: Four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion, families continue to protect their children under constant threat.
Read Walls of Life, by PEN Ukraine President Volodymyr Yermolenko ⬇️
www.pen-international.org/news/volodym...
