Articles by PEN America
Online abuse and the threat it poses to free speech
Viktorya Vilk, PEN America’s program director of Digital Safety and Free Expression, discusses how online abuse directly affects freedom of speech as well as the different ways social media companies can stem online abuse and support their abused users.
Belarus: Well known literary translator Volha Kalackaja sentenced to two years’ house arrest
After spending two months in pre-trial detention, Kalackaja was convicted of “hooliganism”. She had allegedly slapped a state journalist who was harassing passersby and questioning civilians’ ability to grieve for artist Raman Bandarenka, who was beaten to death by security forces in November.
US must hold Mohammed bin Salman accountable for Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, rights groups say
In response to the release of a U.S. congressional report identifying Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as having ordered the operation against journalist Jamal Khashoggi, rights groups call on the Biden administration to impose sanctions on the prince, and suspend arms sales.
PEN America settles landmark First Amendment lawsuit with U.S. government, shielding reporters from retaliation
The settlement agreement affirms the basis of PEN America’s challenge on behalf of its journalist Members who were threatened and retaliated against by President Trump.
Members of US Congress speak out in support of the Belarusian people
In recognition of the International Day of Solidarity with Belarus, PEN America is sharing statements from members of the US Congress reminding the world that the struggle for free expression and democracy in Belarus has not been forgotten.
PEN America condemns arrest of Cuban artists, mass detention of protesters
Mass arrests come as Cuba has heightened its crackdown on dissident artists.
A Safety Guide for Artists
A Safety Guide for Artists explores topics such as defining and understanding risk, preparing for threats, fortifying digital safety, documenting persecution, finding assistance, and recovering from trauma.
Reckoning and reconciliation after the Trump era
This episode of the PEN Pod segment “Tough Questions” addresses the activism we’ve all had to take up over the past four years, the priority issues the Biden-Harris administration should aim to resolve, and the importance of looking back at the Trump era in order to resolve the trauma we experienced from it.