PEN International

Graphic from PEN International featuring a portrait of a woman with short grey hair wearing a red scarf and red jacket against a dark background with abstract writing symbols. Next to the portrait is a quote that reads: “I hope you will be free very soon. No woman should ever be in jail for expressing her opinion. You are a heroine to all of us. Stay strong, dear Valeryja, we are all with you.” The PEN International logo appears in the top left.

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...

International Women’s Day 2026: Take Action for Valeryja Kaściuhova (Belarus)  — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide “No one should have to endure years behind bars for their work. Valeryja Kaściuhova’s plight is a test of our collective conscience: the world cannot stay silent while a woman’s freedom, health, and d...

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...

International Women’s Day 2026: Take Action for Valeryja Kaściuhova (Belarus)  — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide “No one should have to endure years behind bars for their work. Valeryja Kaściuhova’s plight is a test of our collective conscience: the world cannot stay silent while a woman’s freedom, health, and d...

#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.

PEN Belarus Designated an “Extremist Formation”! – PEN Belarus Friends, On February 27, 2026, the KGB designated us an “extremist formation.” What does this mean? If you are in Belarus, travel to Belarus, or feel that you may be at risk for any reason: unsubscrib...

#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 calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities that undermine international peace and security law — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression... ‘ We are witnessing grave challenges to world peace and security, with political leaders utterly failing to uphold international law and actively dismantling the rules-based order. The international c...

#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...

Randy Morin: tâpwe miywâsin pimâtisiwin-Truly, life is beautiful /nēhiyawēwin (Cree) PEN Canada YouTube video by Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee of PI

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: PEN International condemns the sentencing of writer and PEN member Zan Aizong to three years in prison  — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide ‘The imprisonment of Zan Aizong for peacefully commemorating the life of Liu Xiaobo underscores China’s continued use of vague criminal charges to silence independent writers and erase collective memo...

#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: Statement on the systematic confiscation and destruction of manuscripts by prison authorities  — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide 3 March 2026: In Belarus, prison authorities systematically confiscate and destroy the literary manuscripts and letters of those imprisoned on politically motivated grounds. Their aim is not only to s...

#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...

Graphic from PEN International with a black and red background and the PEN International logo at the top left. Large white text on a red banner reads “WE’RE HIRING” with “Fundraising Officer” displayed below in a search bar style. A red button says “APPLY NOW.” At the bottom, smaller text reads: “Apply by sending your CV (max 2 pages) and a brief cover letter (max 1 page) to HR@pen-international.org .

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

Press freedom report: increasingly hostile environment for journalism in Europe  — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide 3 March 2026 – Press freedom continued to be under sustained pressure in Europe in 2025, driven by legal threats, physical attacks and intimidation, attempts of media capture and transnational repress...

📑 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

Hola Gomado: Dzigbɔɖi - La patience (Éwé) - PEN Togo YouTube video by Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee of PI

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

International: Over 80 civil society organisations call for fair elections at UN Committee — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide 27 February 2026 : Today, on World NGO Day, PEN International celebrates the vital contributions of NGOs across the globe. From defending the right to freedom of expression to responding to humanitar...

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 – Hong Kong: Jimmy Lai sentenced to 20 years in prison in a devastating blow to freedom of expression — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide ‘Sentencing Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison is an act of profound cruelty. It is a punishment intended not only to silence one man, but to extinguish independent journalism from Hong Kong. Given Jimmy...

#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...

A PEN International display at the Africa Media Festival features empty chairs on a stage, each holding a portrait of an Eritrean journalist imprisoned since 2001, symbolising their absence and calling for justice and accountability.

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...

PEN Belarus PEN Belarus

#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/

Unbound Voices: Samira Mohyeddin in Conversation with Yermolenko Volodymyr, President of PEN Ukraine YouTube video by PEN International

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...

Yvette Buillet: Arc - Valdotèn (Arpitan, Francoprovençal valdôtain) YouTube video by Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee of PI

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: Volodymyr Yermolenko on Life During the War | Walls of Life  — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide 24 February 2026: Today marks four years since the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to PEN Ukraine and partners , at least 263 cultural figures have been killed by...

#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...

Nachrichtenpodcast: Wie fest sitzt Merz im Sattel? Beim CDU-Parteitag appelliert der Kanzler an das Verantwortungsgefühl seiner Partei. Wie überzeugend ist das? Und: China ist wieder Deutschlands größter Handelspartner.

#Türkiye: PEN International Board Member Ege Dündar speaks with Die Zeit on the arrest of DW correspondent Alican Uludağ and the authorities’ weaponization of the justice system to silence independent views. Interview conducted in German language. @ege-dundar.bsky.social www.zeit.de/politik/2026...

Open letter calling on the UK government to protect BBC World Service funding — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide 23 February 2026: PEN International has joined a coalition of media freedom and journalist organisations in an open letter calling on the UK Government to urgently secure and sustain funding for the...

#UK: We join @indexoncensorship.org and others in urging the UK government to ensure the BBC World Service has the funding it needs to continue its vital work across the globe. Read our joint letter 🔽 www.pen-international.org/news/open-le...