Rapid Action Network

Call for release of Alaa Ab El-Fattah

We call for release of Alaa Ab El-Fattah! The prominent Egyptian dissident Alaa Ab El-Fattah has been arrested – only six months after his release from prison. Alaa Abdel Fattah was freed in March after serving a five-year sentence for organising a protest without permission. He was a leading campaigner during the 2011 uprising against former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Under his probation conditions, the activist was required to spend

Jamal Khashoggi

8 October 2018 – PEN International is deeply concerned about the well-being and safety of Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent Saudi writer who disappeared after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on 2 October 2018. Six days later no official information has been disclosed about the whereabouts of Khashoggi. There are unconfirmed reports that he may have been murdered inside the Consulate.  ‘Khashoggi’s disappearance is deeply alarming and hugely worrying for his

Maldives: brutal murder of prominent writer and blogger - a blow to freedom of expression

24 April 2017 – The brutal murder of writer and blogger, Yameen Rasheed is a vicious attack on the right to freedom of expression in the Maldives. It must be investigated immediately and all those found responsible must be brought to justice, PEN International said today. A popular writer, critic and activist, 29 year-old Rasheed was found with multiple stab wounds on the stairway of his apartment in Malé on

Rapid Action Network: Turkey: Turkish-German journalist Deniz Yücel must be released immediately

PEN International expresses grave concern at the arrest and detention of Turkish-German journalist Deniz Yücel, who was charged on 27 February 2017 with incitement to hatred and making propaganda in support of a terrorist organization. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. PEN International fears that Deniz Yücel is being punished for his articles on corruption as well as the ongoing conflict in the predominantly Kurdish Southeast

President Xi: No More Silence

Petition PEN International: Our PEN International community of writers, readers, activists and publishers condemn the Chinese authority’s sustained and increasing attack on free expression and call for an immediate end to China’s worsening crackdown on fundamental human rights.