Tag Archives: PEN Perth

Acting Chair’s message May 2026

PEN International launched its International Case List 2026 on 23 April 2026. Since 1960, case lists have been updated regularly. This year’s Case List is entitled Writers Under Siege: Defying Silence. The launch began with Head of Research, Policy and Advocacy Ross Holder’s sobering overview of a world where ‘space for expression, culture and dissentContinueContinue reading “Acting Chair’s message May 2026”

Banned books: Myanmar

In 2023, PEN America labels Myanmar ‘the world’s worst jailer of writers’. It might well be also called ‘the world’s worst book banner’. Under Aung San Suu Kyi’s nearly 10 years rule, as the military stepped back, the democratic experiment led to some freedom of expression, albeit ‘with the persistence of taboo issues, such asContinueContinue reading “Banned books: Myanmar”

Chair’s message March 2026

Dear members and fellow travellers In 1934, as war threatened to engulf the world, H.G. Wells addressed the PEN Congress in Edinburgh: “The defence of liberty of expression, and that defence alone, defines a task big enough for all your efforts as a society.” His warning to PEN was precise. “If and when National SocialismContinueContinue reading “Chair’s message March 2026”

History of banned books in Iran

Since the 1979 Revolution, book banning in Iran has been a constant. Religious, political and moral grounds against foreign and local authors were at their most severe for the twenty years preceding the Reform period (1997–2005; see The Dial).[1] Some relaxation of the rules occurred then, but President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2005–2013) engineered a backlash againstContinueContinue reading “History of banned books in Iran”

URGENT CALL TO ACTION: Letter Writing Campaign

Kyaw Min Yu (Ko Jimmy). Source: PEN International PEN International recently condemned the Myanmar military junta’s public declaration they intend to proceed with the execution of author and activist Kyaw Min Yu (also known as Ko Jimmy), who was arrested in 2021 for criticising the military coup in social media posts. Kyaw Min Yu, alongContinueContinue reading “URGENT CALL TO ACTION: Letter Writing Campaign”

Professor in Prison: The Curious Case of Hany Babu

On 28 July 2020, human rights defender Hany Babu was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Mumbai. He is now the twelfth accused arrested for his alleged involvement in the violence that broke-out at Bhima Koregan on 1 January 2018.

PEN Sydney and PEN Melbourne Call for PM to Help Julian Assange

PEN Sydney and PEN Melbourne have called for Prime Minister Scott Morrison to stand up for the rights of Australian citizen Julian Assange. Read their full letter here.

Writers in Prison Committee Meeting

On 14 September, representatives from over 60 PEN Centres convened for its annual Writers in Prison Committee (WIPC) meeting. The meeting drew attention to the critical situation in Afghanistan, where the Taliban’s recent takeover means that Afghan writers, activists, and cultural practitioners—especially women—face imminent danger.

Securing Writers’ Rights

As in previous years, PEN International held pre-conference discussions for its main committees, including the Writers for Peace Committee and the Linguistic Rights Committee, which I was able to attend via Zoom, albeit at an unusual hour as the conference ran on London time.

Report on the PEN International World Congress 2021

The Centenary World Congress of PEN was held via Zoom from 20-24 September, with the four Committee meetings held in the previous week. The Congress held some fascinating panel discussions on issues related to freedom of expression with participants such as Margaret Atwood and Salman Rushdie, as well as talks by John Ralston Saul, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Ma Thida and others.