PEN International

In a new report on the second anniversary, PEN International, PEN America’s Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) and Cubalex, profile 17 exiled cultural professionals – demonstrating their resilience – while documenting the repressive and sometimes violent tactics by the Cuban state that forced them to flee.

Detained Afghan poet Haseeb Ahrari is known for his poems on themes of freedom and patriotism.

PEN International believes the jailed poet is being targeted for his writings critical of Egyptian authorities.

PEN Myanmar member Wai Moe Naing was convicted of high treason for his role as a protest leader and sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment.

Ales Bialiatski has dared to hold President Lukašenka accountable for his brutal, relentless, and systematic crackdown on independent voices. For this, he is paying the heaviest price: ten years in prison on spurious grounds.

“As a public figure who speaks out against corruption, we are deeply concerned about Robert Aquilina’s welfare and that of his family. We also fear that as more corruption is uncovered by journalists, writers, and activists, with no police action taken to investigate and prosecute, the more those uncovering this corruption will be targeted by those who feel untouchable.”

IFEX joins over 180 groups and individuals in urging member states to recognise the critical role of migrant artists in advancing human rights, and to provide accessible asylum policies, comprehensive protection programs and proactive, inclusive cultural policies.

María Cristina Garrido Rodríguez is a Cuban poet and activist. On March 10, 2022, she was sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of ‘public disorder,’ ‘assault’, ‘instigation to commit a crime’, ‘contempt,’ and ‘resistance’.