Ross Holder

Vietnam: On 5th anniversary of writer Pham Doan Trang’s arrest, PEN International joins coalition calling for her release — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression W... 6 October 2025: Ahead of the fifth anniversary of the detention of prominent Vietnamese journalist, writer and woman human rights defender Pham Doan Trang, an international coalition of non-government...

#Vietnam: On the fifth anniversary of writer and journalist Pham Doan Trang's arrest, we join a coalition of 21 rights organisations calling for her release.

Read our statement ⬇️

www.pen-international.org/news/vietnam...

#FreePhamDoanTrang

Don’t miss this important discussion! PEN Malaysia, PEN Philippines, and PEN International are hosting a panel ahead of Myanmar’s December elections, exploring the links between the electoral process, violence & restrictions on free expression. Oct 5, 3–4 pm (MYT). meet.google.com/dbh-tngp-fnr

CC: @penperth.bsky.social, @penmelbourne.bsky.social, @pensydney.bsky.social

Australian says he was improperly arrested in Thailand over his criticism of Malaysia An Australian man arrested in Thailand on a defamation charge he says originated with Malaysia's government claims he is a victim of transnational repression, in which Southeast Asia countries coopera...

#Malaysia #Thailand: We join PEN Malaysia in expressing concern over the arrest of writer & journalist #MurrayHunter by the Thai police, reportedly at the behest of the Malaysian authorities. As ASEAN chair, Malaysia must reflect on the signal this sends. abcnews.go.com/Internationa...

Tucholskypriset 2025 tilldelas fängslade författaren Phạm Đoan Trang — Svenska PEN Den fängslade vietnamesiska författaren Phạm Đoan Trang 2025 års Tucholskypris. Motiveringen lyder: Författaren och publicisten Phạm Đoan Trang tilldelas Tucholskypriset 2025 för sitt hängivna skrivan...

We welcome the news that @pensweden.bsky.social has awarded the 2025 Tucholsky Prize to imprisoned author Phạm Đoan Trang.

This recognition shines an important light on her courage to overcome state censorship and her tireless fight for freedom of expression.

www.svenskapen.se/senaste-nytt...

CC: @judythhill.bsky.social!

Tucholskypriset 2025 tilldelas fängslade författaren Phạm Đoan Trang — Svenska PEN Den fängslade vietnamesiska författaren Phạm Đoan Trang 2025 års Tucholskypris. Motiveringen lyder: Författaren och publicisten Phạm Đoan Trang tilldelas Tucholskypriset 2025 för sitt hängivna skrivan...

Den fängslade vietnamesiska författaren Phạm Đoan Trang tilldelas 2025 års Tucholskypris av Svenska PEN.

Imprisoned author Phạm Đoan Trang is awarded the 2025 Tucholsky Prize.

Afghanistan: Taliban imposes nationwide communications blackout, cutting off millions from the outside world — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide ‘ The ongoing internet shutdown is a grave escalation of the Taliban’s longstanding efforts to silence any form of expression it disagrees with. By isolating Afghanistan from the outside world and den...

Afghanistan: Taliban imposes nationwide communications blackout, millions now cut off from outside world — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide bit.ly/4pGBJ1Y @h0ro.bsky.social @englishpen.bsky.social @irishpen.bsky.social @sanmiguelpen.bsky.social

Afghanistan: Taliban imposes nationwide communications blackout, cutting off millions from the outside world — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide ‘ The ongoing internet shutdown is a grave escalation of the Taliban’s longstanding efforts to silence any form of expression it disagrees with. By isolating Afghanistan from the outside world and den...

#Afghanistan: The Taliban’s nationwide internet blackout is an alarming escalation in its assault on free expression.

PEN International calls for the immediate reversal of the shutdown.

Read our full statement ⬇️

www.pen-international.org/news/afghani...

eals.law.harvard.edu/tribute-jero...

PEN International’s resolutions to defend free expression, gender diversity, human rights, and climate justice  — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide “At this 91st Congress we affirmed that freedom of expression cannot be atomized —whether in defending peace against authoritarianism, protecting our planet, standing with trans and gender-diverse peo...

At our 91st Congress in Kraków, Centres adopted a landmark Resolution condemning the ongoing escalating attacks on freedom of expression in the United States — from book bans to threats against press freedom.

Read the full resolution ⬇️

www.pen-international.org/news/pen-int...

PEN International launches its Manifesto on the Defence of Nature   — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide “The Manifesto on the Defence of Nature is not only about the environment; it is about the survival of language, culture, and imagination. Writers know that the stories of humanity cannot exist withou...

At PEN’s 91st Congress in Kraków, we launched the Manifesto on the Defence of Nature. Signed by writers worldwide, it calls on us all to be witnesses, protectors & visionaries in the face of the climate crisis.

Read the Manifesto ⬇️
www.pen-international.org/news/pen-int...

CC: @caoilfhionn.bsky.social, @doughtystreet.bsky.social, @ppoon.bsky.social, @lokman.org , @ketalaolan.bsky.social, @adatt.bsky.social, @franceshui.bsky.social, @mcaster.bsky.social

CC: @krislc.bsky.social, @louisalim.bsky.social, @tomgrundy.hongkongfp.com, @emilyzfeng.bsky.social, @holmeschan.bsky.social

China-Hong Kong: Jimmy Lai’s son calls for his father’s release at United Nations Human Rights Council — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide 17 September 2025 : Today at the United Nations Human Rights Council, Sebastien Lai addressed the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) on behalf of PEN International, calling on the Hong Kon...

#China: Today, Sebastien Lai addressed the UN Human Rights Council, calling for the immediate release of his father, #HongKong writer and publisher Jimmy Lai, who he fears may die in prison.

See his statement here⬇️ #FreeJimmyLai

www.pen-international.org/news/china-h...

Reuters withdraws Xi, Putin longevity video after China state TV pulls legal permission to use it Reuters News on Friday withdrew a four-minute video containing an exchange between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussing the possibility that humans can live to 150 years old, after China state TV demanded its removal and withdrew the legal permission to use it.

LOL, China's state television network, China Central Television (CCTV — nice), has forced Reuters to take down its video of Xi and Putin talking about living to 150, or maybe forever, on biotech breakthroughs. Beijing is revoking legal permission to use the footage. www.reuters.com/business/med...

On our final day at Congress, we came together for powerful conversations on the freedom to publish, cultural erasure, and centering Indigenous literature and culture in global conversations. Thank you to all who shared their voices.

Stay tuned for photos and videos in the coming weeks.

Nobel Laureate Olga Tokarczuk joins PEN International leadership as Vice President  — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide “We are honoured to welcome Olga Tokarczuk as Vice President of PEN International. Through her powerful voice and works that have captivated readers across the globe, she has shown how storytelling ca...

PEN International is delighted to announce the appointment of literary giant and Nobel Prize-winning Polish writer and activist Olga Tokarczuk as Vice President of PEN International.

Read more ⬇️

www.pen-international.org/news/nobel-l...

LIVE: Memory, Migration and Myth in Contemporary Fiction
Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk joins the PEN International President to reflect on the power of writing to courageously confront authority and wield the pen as a sword.

LIVE: Burhan Sonmez, International President, speaks from the PEN International 91st Annual Congress on the origins of the word freedom.

This year’s Congress is a gathering of hope uniting writers and advocates of freedom of expression worldwide.

The Pushkin heist: who is stealing rare editions of Russian classics? Nearly 200 volumes have gone missing from libraries across Europe. Some suspect it is another “special operation”

“The only mystery here is who orders those books. And unfortunately, it matches the profile of the methods of the Russian Federation.”

Could the Kremlin be behind a recent spate of book thefts in Europe?

@pensweden.bsky.social is among the signatories. #FreeJimmyLai

China-Hong Kong: 72 human rights organisations urge UK PM to secure Jimmy Lai’s release as his health deteriorates — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwid... 21 August 2025: Today, PEN International and PEN Centres joined a coalition of 72 freedom of expression and human rights organisations in a letter to the UK’s Prime Minister, Sir Kier Starmer, urging ...

#HongKong: 72 rights groups urge the UK Prime Minister to secure the release of imprisoned writer & publisher Jimmy Lai, as his health deteriorates.

#FreeJimmyLai

Read more ⬇️
www.pen-international.org/news/china-h...

#HongKong: With the closing arguments of writer and media publisher Jimmy Lai's national security trial due to take place today, we continue to call for his immediate and unconditional release. Held in solitary confinement for almost 5 years, he faces a life sentence if convicted.

Thailand: Aid Cuts Put Myanmar Refugees at Grave Risk More than 100,000 Myanmar refugees in Thailand have lost access to essential food and medical aid due to US funding cuts, putting them at serious risk.

> 100,000 Myanmar refugees in Thailand have lost access to essential food & medical aid due to US funding cuts. The Thai government should immediately permit refugees to lawfully work and travel outside its refugee camps, @hrw says www.hrw.org/news/2025/08...

Bangladesh: Writer and academic Nadira Yeasmin targeted for her support of women’s rights — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide ‘This courageous and necessary report shines a long-overdue light on the deep systemic inequalities women face in Bangladesh. The vicious campaign against Nadira Yeasmin is not only heartbreaking—it i...

#Bangladesh: Amidst a campaign of harassment against writer and activist Nadira Yeasmin, we call on the interim government to protect her and others who support gender equality. www.pen-international.org/news/banglad...

CC: @saliltripathi.bsky.social, @shahalpa.bsky.social, @pen-tlrc.bsky.social, @article-14.com, @thewire.in

Academic and anti-caste activist Hany Babu’s ongoing incarceration is a damning example of how counter-terror legislation is being used as a cudgel to silence dissent. Its misuse against Hany Babu, who used his voice to support marginalised communities, casts a dark shadow on India’s legal system.

India: Academic Hany Babu’s bail hearing to take place after five years in jail without trial — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide “ Hany Babu’s ongoing arbitrary detention, now at over five years before a trial has even begun, is a travesty and a dark illustration of the Indian government’s hostility towards those who speak up f...

#India: Ahead of tomorrow's bail hearing, we call on the Bombay High Court to grant bail to academic #HanyBabu, who has been detained without trial for over 5 years. Counter-terror legislation must never be misused to silence peaceful dissent. www.pen-international.org/news/india-a...

Indian authorities in Kashmir ban books by eminent writers and scholars Indian authorities have banned 25 books in Kashmir, accusing them of promoting a "false narrative" and "secessionism."

Indian authorities have banned 25 books in Kashmir, accusing them of promoting a "false narrative" and "secessionism."