PEN International

The repression of dissenting voices is not limited to direct political opponents and journalists. Museum guides, musicians, teachers, TV presenters and many other professionals have lost their jobs after criticising the authorities.

PEN International expressed concern over reports that the Singapore government has been using the law aimed at combatting disinformation to remove critical views about the country’s COVID-19 response.

On 16 June, a Turkish court banned access to ‘Özgürüz’, which is headed by exiled journalist Can Dündar. Dündar has been subjected to judicial harassment since 2015, with several criminal procedures on-going.

Türfent was detained in May 2016 after reporting on Turkish special police forces’ ill-treatment of Turkish and Kurdish workers. Despite 19 witnesses saying that their statements against Türfent were obtained under torture, he was sentenced to eight years and nine months in prison on charges of “membership of a terrorist organisation”.

Several groups have petitioned the United Nations Human Rights Council and the European Parliament to call for the release of independent writers in Vietnam.

The controversial provision in the law has been used to harass internet users and the press in Malaysia for sharing critical views on social media.

In 2019, PEN monitored 212 cases around the globe where writers, poets, playwrights, song writers, translators and journalists were targeted because of their work.

Twenty four press freedom groups call for the immediate end to the public advertising ban imposed on the independent newspaper ‘Evrensel’. Should the ban last six months, ‘Evrensel’ faces being removed from the system for at least three years.