FREEDOM TO WRITE FREEDOM TO READ
English PEN is the founding centre of a global literary network. We work to defend and promote freedom of expression, and to remove barriers to literature.
English PEN is the founding centre of a global literary network. We work to defend and promote freedom of expression, and to remove barriers to literature.
Bahá’í poet and teacher Mahvash Sabet has this evening been named 2017 International Writer of Courage by Michael Longley at the PEN Pinter Prize ceremony at the British Library. Longley was announced as the 2017 PEN Pinter Prize winner in June this year. Sabet was released in September, after being imprisoned for almost ten years
The FCO silence has been ‘lacklustre’ and ‘appalling’
A contributor to forthcoming sci-fi anthology Iraq+100 (Comma Press) reveals the meaning behind the title and implication of their story.
The killing of Jordanian writer Nahid Hattar outside a court where he was due to stand trial for alleged ‘insult to Islam’ and ‘provoking sectarian strife’ is a clear demonstration why religious insult laws should be repealed without delay. Nahid Hattar, a 56-year-old member of Jordan’s Christian minority was reportedly shot dead by Riyadh Ismail
A court in Saudi Arabia has overturned the death sentence handed down to the Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayadh. However, English PEN is shocked to learn that Fayadh’s conviction for apostasy has not been reversed, and the court has ordered a harsh new punishment. According to a report in the Guardian, Fayadh’s sentence for apostasy will