chrismmck.bsky.social
@chrismmck.bsky.social
Reposted
May 16, 2025 at 6:51 AM
Reposted
#Vietnam: We are gravely concerned over reports of the death in custody of Tibetan writer and educator, Humkar Dorje Rinpoche. PEN International joins PEN #Tibet and PEN Vietnam in calling for a transparent investigation.

Read our joint statement⬇️
www.pen-international.org/news/vietnam...
Vietnam and China: Grave concern over reports of Tibetan writer’s suspicious death in custody — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide
‘The circumstances around the death of Tibetan writer and educator, Humkar Dorje Rinpoche are deeply troubling and raise concerns around the growing threat of transnational repression. We call on the ...
www.pen-international.org
April 16, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Reposted
PEN Melbourne partners with Melbourne Writers Festival 2025

State Library Victoria
11 May, 1030am

Unsettling Australian Stories:
Kate Grenville and Anita Heiss are award winning authors who will take a personal, political and cultural look at writing frontier histories during this upcoming event.
April 8, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Reposted
🍿PEN Melbourne Fundraiser 
Screening of The Correspondent🍿

Australian PEN centres—Melbourne, Sydney and Perth campaigned for Greste's release from prison, and Greste is now the patron of PEN Perth. 

17th April, 6:30pm
Cinema Nova, Carlton
$25 tickets with $10 donation to PEN Melbourne
April 9, 2025 at 8:08 AM
Reposted
#HongKong & #Italy: We join over 40 international organisations in condemning the harassment of artist and activist Badiucao by the gallery, Art Innovation.

We call on the gallery to cease its efforts to silence an artist whose work challenges censorship ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/hong-ko...
Hong Kong & Italy: Over 40 Global Organisations Stand with Badiucao Against Legal Harassment — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide
11 April 2025: PEN International strongly condemns the legal threats and harassment directed at Chinese-Australian artist and political cartoonist Badiucao following the exhibition of his protest art ...
www.pen-international.org
April 11, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Reposted
Uyghur writer and academic Ilham Tohti was sentenced to life in prison in 2014 after an unfair trial on separatism charges.

Learn more about his case and others in our Case List 2025 ➡️
www.pen-international.org/identity-on-...

Image credit: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images
March 26, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Reposted
Alaa Abdel Fattah has been incarcerated in Egyptian prisons for almost a decade for speaking out against oppression; he represents 0000s of Egyptian political prisoners who are journalists, writers and activists jailed for exercising their right to free expression 
#PardonForAlaa #AlaaAbdelFattah
March 27, 2025 at 9:49 AM
Reposted
#MahvashSabet’s poetry was born behind bars, written despite relentless persecution of her Baha’i faith. On #WorldPoetryDay, we demand her immediate release.

Featured in our 2025 Case List— IDENTITY ON TRIAL: PERSECUTION AND RESISTANCE, take action today: www.pen-international.org/our-campaign...
World Poetry Day 2025: Take Action for Mahvash Sabet (Iran) — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide
www.pen-international.org
March 21, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Reposted
#Algeria: PEN International strongly condemns the unjust sentencing of Franco-Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal to five years in prison on fabricated charges.

We demand his immediate and unconditional release.

Read our statement ➡️ www.pen-international.org/news/algeria...
Algeria: Novelist Boualem Sansal sentenced to five years in prison — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide
“We are shocked by the court’s decision to convict Boualem Sansal on bogus charges, solely in retaliation for his legitimate exercise of his right to freedom of expression. No one should face persecut...
www.pen-international.org
March 27, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Reposted
Amazing how little attention is being paid in the West -in NATO! - to the clearly authoritarian behaviour of the Turkish President. He arrested the Mayor of Istanbul - his rival in the upcoming presidential election. How can NATO accept this? Why is this not a central issue for the democratic world?
March 19, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Reposted
#Türkiye: We are deeply concerned by detentions of journalists and sweeping restrictions on social media platforms and demonstrations following the arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu. All those held for peacefully expressing their views must be released. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Ekrem Imamoglu: Istanbul mayor and Erdogan presidential rival arrested
Ekrem Imamoglu's detention comes days before he was due to be selected as a presidential candidate.
www.bbc.co.uk
March 19, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Reposted
17 freedom of expression & human rights organisations have written to PM Keir Starmer calling for intensified efforts to secure British-Egyptian writer Alaa Abd el-Fattah’s release irishpen.com/2025/03/14/f... @irishpen.bsky.social @peninternational.bsky.social @englishpen.bsky.social
#FreeAlaa – Joint appeal for Alaa Abd el-Fattah - Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann
17 freedom of expression and human rights organisations have written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer to jointly call for the UK to intensify efforts to secure British-Egyptian writer Alaa Abd el-Fattah...
irishpen.com
March 14, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Reposted
Eid is a time for mercy – but will Egypt show it?
Alaa Abd el-Fattah, British-Egyptian writer, technologist & activist is behind bars for demanding democracy.
🔗 Take action now. See penperth.com.
#FreeAlaa #EidJustice #KeirStarmerActNow #PennyWongSpeakUp #HumanRights #FreedomOfExpression
(no title)
Perth chapter of PEN International
penperth.com
March 21, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Reposted
'We condemn the brutal onslaught on peaceful expression unleashed by the authorities of #Türkiye, who continue to show their utter contempt for the rule of law...’ PEN International President Burhan Sonmez. Our statement: www.pen-international.org/news/trkiye-...
Türkiye: Alarming crackdown on peaceful expression condemned — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide
“PEN International condemns the brutal onslaught on peaceful expression unleashed by the authorities of Türkiye, who continue to show their utter contempt for the rule of law and long-standing determi...
www.pen-international.org
March 24, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Reposted
Today, on #WorldPoetryDay, we launch IDENTITY ON TRIAL: PERSECUTION AND RESISTANCE—our 2025 Case List exposing growing threats against writers targeted for gender, ethnicity, sexuality & beliefs.

Find out more and protect writers at risk: www.pen-international.org/news/stateme...
Identity on Trial: Persecution and Resistance – PEN International Case List 2025   — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide
“As the very principles of international human rights and humanitarian law are being increasingly questioned by governments worldwide, we must redouble our efforts, defending the values that unite us:...
www.pen-international.org
March 21, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Reposted
#Türkiye: We strongly condemn the arrests of Kurdish PEN members Mevlüt Aykoç, Sami Tan and Ronayi Önen – ostensibly for publishing teaching material in Kurdish – and urge their immediate release: www.gazeteduvar.com.tr/kurt-yazarla...
Kürtçe öğrenme kitabı ‘Hînker’i hazırlayan yazarlar gözaltında alındı - Ferhat Yaşar
Kürtçe öğrenme kitabı olan “Hînkerî”i hazırladıkları gerekçesiyle yazarlar Sami Tan, Mevlüt Aykoç, Ronahî Önen ve Sadık Varlı gözaltına alındı. Varlı daha sonra serbest bırakıldı.
www.gazeteduvar.com.tr
March 6, 2025 at 10:11 AM
Reposted
Freedom of expression is not a privilege; it is a right that must be defended.

Learn more about PEN International and our work defending freedom of expression: www.pen-international.org/what-we-do
March 6, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Reposted
📢 Tomorrow is #InternationalWomensDay. We will stand with poet & activist Amanda Echanis, who has been unjustly detained in the Philippines since 2020.

Take action with us tomorrow and demand a fair trial.

www.pen-international.org/our-campaign...
International Women’s Day 2025: Take Action for Amanda Echanis (Philippines)  — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide
“Amanda Echanis represents the strength of women who bravely speak out against injustice. Her detention is a stark reminder of how governments silence female voices to suppress dissent. We must champi...
www.pen-international.org
March 7, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Reposted
UN Special Rapporteurs are calling for the immediate release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah 'given the arbitrary and unlawful nature of his detention and the deteriorating health of his mother'. #FreeAlaa
www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...
Egypt: Experts urge release of Alaa Abd El-Fattah and others silenced under repressive national security laws
GENEVA – A group of independent human rights experts* today urged the Government of Egypt to end the unlawful and arbitrary detention of activist and blogger, Alaa Abd El-Fattah, and release him witho...
www.ohchr.org
February 27, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Reposted
How do you campaign for change?

Meant for PEN members and recent and long-time supporters, this handbook from @peninternational.bsky.social will help you refresh your approach to campaigning for the right to freedom of expression and supporting writers at risk: buff.ly/4ao46uQ
March 4, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Reposted
Egypt: PEN International calls for clemency for imprisoned writer Alaa Abdel Fattah and urges the Egyptian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release him.

Read our joint letter: www.pen-international.org/news/pen-int...
PEN International calls for clemency for imprisoned writer Alaa Abdel-Fattah — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide
5 March 2025: PEN International joins a coalition of human rights leaders, writers, and public figures in urging the Egyptian authorities to grant clemency to Egyptian-British writer Alaa Abdel-Fattah...
www.pen-international.org
March 5, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Reposted
#Egypt: PEN International joins over 20 rights organisations urging the UK to lead international action addressing Egypt’s human rights crisis at the UN Human Rights Council.

Full letter here ⬇️

www.pen-international.org/news/egypt-c...
Egypt: Call on UK to lead international action on Egypt at UN Human Rights Council  — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide
25 February 2025: PEN International joins a coalition of 24 UK, Egyptian and international organisations calling on British Foreign Secretary David Lammy to use the UN Human Rights Council to draw att...
www.pen-international.org
February 25, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Reposted
As part of The Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee (@pen-tlrc.bsky.social) Video Poem Marathon, today we feature Kwa Sumbi read by Ndongolera Mwangupili in Kyangonde, a language spoken by the Ngonde people of northern Malawi.

Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPbP...
www.youtube.com
February 27, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Reposted
Hello Bluesky! PEN Melbourne and
@pensydney.bsky.social .bsky.social
have arrived! #PEN
February 28, 2025 at 7:35 AM