PEN Perth

‼️ PEN centres are calling for urgent intervention by the Australian Government to secure the safe return of Australian writer Murray Hunter, who is currently detained in Thailand.

✉️ www.pen-international.org/news/austral...

Greetings for writers in prison It is that time of year when we start preparing to celebrate with family and friends. However, some writers and journalists worldwide will not have that opportunity. There are writers around the wo…

Send a letter to a writer in prison this festive season - it really helps them feel that they matter and that they are not forgotten. penperth.com/seasons-gree...

Iran: authorities must release writer and Nobel Peace laureate Narges Mohammadi immediately and ensure her safety  — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwid... “We are deeply shocked by the news of the brutal assault and subsequent detention of prominent Iranian writer and Nobel laureate, Narges Mohammadi last week. Mohammadi has always faced persecution due...

#Iran: PEN International condemns the violent and arbitrary arrest of Nobel Peace laureate Narges Mohammadi on 12 December. We are gravely concerned for her health and safety and call for her immediate and unconditional release.

Read our statement ⬇️

www.pen-international.org/news/iran-au...

Belarus: PEN members amongst those released into exile — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide ‘The PEN movement has been eagerly campaigning for this moment for years. As we welcome the release of PEN members Ales Bialiatski, Maksim Znak and Aliaksandr Fiaduta with immense relief, we urge just...

#Belarus: As we welcome the release of PEN members Ales Bialiatski, Maksim Znak and Aliaksandr Fiaduta with immense relief, we urge justice for the violations they suffered, including their forced exile.

Read our statement ⬇️

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

Jimmy Lai: Pro-democracy Hong Kong tycoon found guilty of national security offences Lai, one of the fiercest critics of the Chinese state, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Shocking news for Jimmy Lai www.bbc.com/news/live/c4...

Fantastic news!

Read our letter urging Penny Wong to negotiate on Murray Hunter's behalf - in our bio

Every message counts to writers in prison. Sometimes, a short message of solidarity might feel like the only light in a very dark tunnel.

Please join @peninternational.bsky.social in sending Uyghur writer #YalqunRozi a message: www.pen-international.org/yalqun-rozi-...

#dayoftheimprisonedwriter

#DayoftheImprisonedWriter: Writer and literary critic #YalqunRozi is serving a 15-year sentence in China for his work promoting Uyghur literature. @peninternational.bsky.social calls for his immediate and unconditional release.

Take action for Yalqun today: pen-international.org/yalqun-rozi-doiw

Australian Murray Hunter is facing criminal charges in Thailand for public-interest commentaries, not crimes. Malaysia, as ASEAN Chair, has a duty to uphold rights and freedoms. Cross-border censorship defies that obligation. PEN Centres are urging urgent intervention. Read the letter in bio

✍️ Algerian poet #MohamedTadjadit — the voice of the Hirak movement — is in prison just for speaking truth to power.

Join PEN International in demanding his immediate
and unconditional release.

📋 TAKE ACTION: www.pen-international.org/mohamed-tadj...

#DayoftheImprisonedWriter

Yalqun Rozi — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide

SIGN OUR PETITION: www.pen-international.org/yalqun-rozi-...

Uyghur writer #YalqunRozi has spent 9 years behind bars in China for expressing his cultural identity. Sentenced to 15 years, his only “crime” was helping preserve the Uyghur language. You can set him free. #DayoftheImprisonedWriter

An empty chair for Jimmy Lai at our recent sold-out annual PEN Perth, who has been wrongfully imprisoned for his human rights activism in Hong Kong.

Read about our letter to the UN, calling for an end to abuses in Hong Kong prisons: www.pen-international.org/news/china-h...

"Escalating attempts to remove works featuring themes such as LGBTQ lifestyles and race relations from US bookshelves are facing growing resistance from publishers and rights groups."

This month our spotlight on Book Bans turns to the USA. Read the full story here: www.france24.com/en/live-news...

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✊ News from Vietnam, Hong Kong, Sudan and more
📣 Local Boorloo/Perth events
📤 Ways to get involved
💬 Celebrating an anthology from Sri Lanka

Read now: mailchi.mp/5c68973de941...

Police arrest poet Paata Shamugia Police have arrested Georgian poet Paata Shamugia during last night’s protest in Tbilisi. Reportedly, criminal police officers detained him near

#Georgia: We urge the immediate release of acclaimed poet and former president of PEN Georgia Paata Shamugia, who faces up to 15 days in prison for taking part in peaceful protests.

Read more ⬇️

georgiatoday.ge/police-arres...

Türkiye: PEN member Merdan Yanardağ held on espionage charges — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide ‘By arresting PEN member Merdan Yanardağ on ludicrous espionage charges and appointing a trustee to TELE 1, the authorities clearly intend to wipe out what is left of critical journalism in Türkiye. W...

#Türkiye: We urge authorities to release PEN member Merdan Yanardağ, held on ludicrous espionage charges, and to halt their pervasive assault on press freedom.

#JournalismIsNotACrime

Read our statement ⬇️

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

Day of the Imprisoned Writer: Peter Greste Grey Zone: The Debate Democracies Cannot Afford to Lose

⏳ 1 week to go.
Join us for a moving night of truth, courage and solidarity as Peter Greste shares the important issues for speaking the truth and the debate that democracies cannot afford to lose.
🎟️ events.humanitix.com/day-of-the-i...
Peter Greste’s book The Correspondent will be on sale.

What can you do to support imprisoned writers?
✊ Show up
📣 Speak out
📤 Share their stories
💬 Keep their names alive

Real solidarity saves lives.

Be part of that by joining us for this powerful event for the Day of the Imprisoned Writer. Presented by Peter Greste.

🎟️ To register, lnkd.in/gDHutim6

Spotlight: Asia

Asia Spotlight is live! 🌏

This new series from our Young Writers Committee @youngwriterspen.bsky.social features voices from Bangladesh, Singapore, Thailand, and more, exploring censorship and resilience through personal reflections.
Read the full overview ⬇️

tomorrowclub.world/spotlights/s...

The Correspondent is the gripping 2024 film based on Peter Greste’s imprisonment in Egypt – a story of power, truth and what happens when journalism is treated as a crime.
Hear Peter reflect on real stories and the urgent issues of responsible expression - for Day of the Imprisoned Writer. See bio👍

Life on Conscience This is not about those of us on this ship. It is about Palestinians, particularly Gazans. We have gone way past the time for words and gestures. It is time for action.

We are alarmed at reports that photojournalist and writer Shahidul Alam and others have been detained following the interception of an aid flotilla bound for Gaza. We call for their immediate release and safe return.

Read his recent article ⬇️
en.prothomalo.com/opinion/5gzi...

Seats are selling fast so register now!

YouTube video by APT Tears of Joy: Alaa Abd el-Fattah Released from Egyptian Prison | Sisi Grants Presidential Pardon

Alaa is free!

This is fantastic news - will wait to see how this develops today 🙏❤️

Fantastic news!!

Photo of bald white man who is Peter Greste sitting on chair with title 'Day of the imprisoned writer: PEN Perth Annual Lecture" and logos of PEN Perth, Centre for Stories and Murdoch University. A sub-heading reads 'Peter Greste on the Grey Zone: The debate democracies cannot afford to lose.' Key event details including date, time and venue listed on the right: 11 November, 6pm and State Library Theatre, pay-what-you-feel tickets.

We are excited to announce that the speaker of our Annual Lecture in 2025 is Peter Greste, Australian journalist and the real-life hero of the film
The Correspondent​. Register here to attend Peter's lecture on democracy and extremism: events.humanitix.com/day-of-the-i...

Woman in hijab taking photo with camera and text that reads 'PEN Perth in solidarity with PEN International - Investigate Israel's killing of journalists.'

Text in quotation marks that reads: 'We mourn and condemn the killing of five Palestinian journalists in Gaza, including prominent correspondents Anas Al Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh. These were civilians, protected under international law, whose only crime was telling the truth. Their deliberate killing is clearly intended to silence reporting on the attempted annihilation wreaked upon the people of Gaza." End quote. From Romana Cacchioli, PEN International executive Director.

PEN is outraged by the targeted extra-judicial killing of five Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza. Israel must be held accountable.

Join us in writing to your local MP, Senator Penny Wong or PM @albomp.bsky.social to call for the Australian government to hold those responsible to account.