PEN International

Organisations from around the world call on the EU to “be less deferential” towards Turkey.

As the saga of Saudi’s hunted elites commanded attention across the Middle East and North Africa this November, news of the region’s less powerful prey fell by the wayside. Authorities in Kuwait, Bahrain, Libya, Morocco, and Egypt went after protesters, journalists, and human rights defenders critical of their regimes.

As the regional election draws near, concerns grow over reports of unprecedented levels of harassment and violence against journalists.

ARTICLE 19, PEN International, PEN Norway and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemn this clear violation of fair trial rights and call for their immediate release, and for all charges to be dropped.

Yang Tongyan succumbed to a brain tumour on 7 November 2017 just three months after he was released on medical parole. He spent a total of 22 years of his life in prison.

PEN International is deeply concerned by reports that renowned writer and activist Sulak Sivaraksa is facing trial for violating article 112 of the Thai Criminal Code (lèse majesté) in a connection with a speech he gave at Thammasat University in 2014.

On 31 October 2017, one year to the day after the arrests and indictments of 17 members of the Cumhuriyet newspaper’s board and journalistic staff, the fourth hearing in the case took place.

PEN International welcomes news of the release of prominent Yemeni journalist and writer Mohammad Yahya al-Jubaihi, who was recently pardoned by the Supreme Political Council in Sana’a.