3 March 2026: In Belarus, prison authorities systematically confiscate and destroy the literary manuscripts and letters of those imprisoned on politically motivated grounds. Their aim is not only to silence individuals, but also to dismantle their human and cultural identity and erase the intellectual and cultural heritage created even in isolation. By destroying manuscripts, the authorities seek to deprive authors of the opportunity to bear witness to their time and to maintain a connection with society. They further intend to erase evidence and society’s right to memory. PEN Belarus considers these actions to be a form of cultural and psychological violence. 

These systematic violations of human rights and of international and national legal norms deliberately suppress human dignity and attempt to erase the voices of those who dare to think and create in the face of repression. 

• In recent years, we have documented numerous cases in which: 
  memoirs, autobiographical essays, and diary entries are arbitrarily confiscated during cell searches and not logged in official records; 

• literary works, poems, and philosophical reflections are taken by prison authorities prior to the transfer of prisoners (including before their release); 

• personal notes, letters, and drafts of cultural value disappear after being seized; 

• completed manuscripts or written fragments are not sent to relatives and loved ones and remain arbitrarily with censors. 

Documented individual cases 

The sheer scale of destruction of intellectual property by the Belarusian authorities is alarming and affects writers, literary figures, and activists alike. Similar practices have been recorded in various institutions and against both men and women. 

Maryja Kalesnikava saw the manuscripts of two books confiscated; Alena Hnaŭk lost all her correspondence; and Hanna Kurys had her prison drawings and other creative works seized. The women were held in Penal Colony No. 4 in Homiel. 

Nobel laureate Aleś Bialacki (Penal Colony No. 9 in Horki, Mahilioŭ region) reported that on the day of his release, the authorities took all his manuscripts and the few letters that had reached him in detention. Among the confiscated materials were two draft memoirs. 

Such practice amounts to psychological violence. The administration of Penal Colony No. 15 in Viejna (Mahilioŭ region) notably coerced Alaksiej Hajšun into destroying the manuscripts of three books he had written while in detention. 

According to documented testimony, upon his release from the KGB pre-trial detention centre in Minsk, Mikoła Dziadok had around 20 kilograms of letters, notebooks, and diaries confiscated.  

Maksim Znak (Penal Colony No. 3 in Viciebsk region) reported the confiscation of manuscripts of literary works, poems, translations, and song lyrics. He noted that before his release, all items bearing any writings were taken from him. 

Ihar Karniej (Penal Colony No. 20 in Homiel region) had all his notes, diaries, and notebooks seized: “They searched for an hour and a half — every seam, every sheet, all the notes (they took my notebook then; the others had already been destroyed in Škloŭ).” 

Uładzimir Łabkovič (Penal Colony No. 17 in Škloŭ, Mahilioŭ region) had the manuscript of an essay about Vasil Bykaŭ confiscated. 

Pavieł Sieviaryniec (Prison No. 1 in Hrodna) saw all his written works confiscated. 

Alaksandr Fiaduta (Penal Colony No. 15 in Mahilioŭ) stated: “My manuscripts were confiscated. There were no political notes, no diaries. There was no information related to my imprisonment. There was a screenplay, two plays, and two notebooks of poems.” 

These actions are not isolated incidents. They constitute a systematic policy of cultural repression and bear the hallmarks of cultural censorship and deliberate cultural destruction aimed at depriving political prisoners of their voice, their memory, their ability to bear witness to what they have endured, and their opportunity to comprehend reality through creative expression. 

Such actions represent a grave and systematic violation of fundamental cultural rights enshrined in international human rights law and standards – to which Belarus is a state party – and in the national legislation of Belarus. 

1. The right to freedom of expression 

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; Article 33 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus. 

Every person, including when deprived of liberty, has the inalienable right to freedom of opinion and expression, and the right to impart information and ideas through any media. The destruction of manuscripts is a direct act of censorship of personal self-expression – an attempt to silence those who are restricted or deprived of other means of communication with the outside world. The Belarusian authorities do not merely unduly restrict freedom of expression; they physically destroy its material embodiment. 

2. The right to be free from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and the right to dignity 

Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; Articles 7 and 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; Article 25 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus.  

All persons deprived of liberty have the right to humane treatment and to respect for the inherent dignity of the human person. The confiscation of manuscripts by prison authorities degrades human dignity. Creative work in detention is a fundamental need of the human spirit — a way to preserve reason, identity, and hope. 

Under Article 1 of the UN Convention against Torture, torture is defined as any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for purposes such as intimidation or punishment. 

For a writer or scholar, the result of their intellectual work is inherent to their personality and the principal means of professional fulfilment. The conditions of isolation in which political prisoners are held turn creative work into a vital mechanism for preserving mental health and human dignity. The deliberate destruction or confiscation of manuscripts created over years in harsh conditions constitutes a form of psychological violence aimed at the “intellectual destruction” of a person.  

The above-mentioned norms of international and national law explicitly prohibit torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. Confiscating manuscripts without lawful and reasoned documentation or explanation turns this process into an arbitrary act of abuse of power, effectively imposing additional punishment on a prisoner for their thoughts. It becomes a deliberate destruction of creative work intended to break human dignity. 

3. The right to participate in cultural life 

Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; Article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Article 51 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus. 

Everyone has the right to freely participate in the cultural life of the community. Deprivation of liberty does not remove a person’s cultural rights. On the contrary, international law recognizes that even in detention people must be able to engage in creative activity, produce cultural works, and participate in cultural life to the extent compatible with the conditions of imprisonment.  

International standards for the treatment of prisoners, in particular the Nelson Mandela Rules (the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners), explicitly state that imprisonment does not suspend cultural and educational rights. Under Rules 64 and 105, prisoners must have opportunities for cultural activities and intellectual development in order to maintain mental health and human dignity.  

The confiscation of manuscripts deprives prisoners of: 

• the right to create – to produce literary, philosophical, and memoir works; 

• the rights of authorship – to preserve and transmit their works for publication and to protect the moral and material interests arising from any works of which they are the author; 

• the right to cultural heritage – to leave testimony of their time for future generations; 

• the right to connect with the cultural community – to share their thoughts, experiences, and creative work with the outside world. 

It also violates the rights of potential readers, who are denied the opportunity to read the author’s work. The manuscripts of political prisoners are historical documents. Their destruction is an attempt to erase historical memory. This violates not only the rights of the prisoners themselves, but also society’s right of access to cultural and historical heritage. The confiscation of manuscripts is an act of cultural vandalism comparable to the destruction of historical archives or works of art. 

History offers many examples of manuscripts created in detention that later became major literary works: New Land by Jakub Kołas, The Travels of Marco Polo, The City of the Sun by Tommaso Campanella, Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, De Profundis by Oscar Wilde, the books of Alexander Solzhenitsyn, and the diaries of Nelson Mandela. In this line of world-renowned names, one tragic page in our own cultural history is the translation of Homer’s Iliad, produced in detention by Branisłaŭ Taraškievič in the 1930s. The complete manuscript was later confiscated by the Soviet authorities, and its fate remains unknown to this day. 

Each of these works is not only a personal story, but also testimony to an era – a document without which our understanding of history would be incomplete. Belarusian prisoners are writing history right now. Their manuscripts are not only monuments to courage and to their time but also works of art and philosophy. The confiscation of these manuscripts is evidence of cultural censorship and the deliberate destruction of intellectual heritage. 

The systematic destruction of writers’ manuscripts in Belarus goes far beyond the violation of cultural rights and constitutes a practice aimed at dismantling the individual and erasing their intellectual and creative presence. 

We urgently call on the authorities of Belarus, in particular the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Department for the Execution of Sentences, to: 

• Immediately cease the practice of confiscating the manuscripts of political prisoners. 

• Immediately return all existing manuscripts to their authors (rights holders). 

• Ensure the realisation of the cultural rights of political prisoners. 

• Bring current practices into compliance with international and national legal standards. 

We further call on the international community, the UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, UNESCO, as well as international human rights organisations to: 

• public condemn the confiscation and destruction of manuscripts by prison authorities; 

• include this issue in reports and resolutions by international bodies; 

• send formal inquiries to the Belarusian authorities demanding that prisoners’ cultural rights be upheld; 

• monitor cultural and educational rights in places of detention. 

Endorsed by: 

PEN International  

PEN Català

PEN Denmark 

PEN Finland 

PEN Norway 

PEN Sweden 

Belarus 2020 Foundation 

Belarusian Association of Journalists 

Belarusian Council for Culture 

Belarusian Cultural Society “Сhatka” 

Belarusian Helsinki Committee 

Belarusische Gemeinschaft RAZAM e.V. 

Civic Cultural Campaign “Budźma Belarusami!” 

Creators’ House Foundation 

Czabor Association 

Human Constanta 

Krystsina Drobysh, audiobook publisher 

Lawtrend 

Legal Initiative 

RAZAMKUNST 

Telegram channel Holybelawood 

Tutaka Foundation 

Tuteishy Theatre 

Viasna Human Rights Center 

Additional information 

For more information about the situation for freedom of expression in Belarus and the authorities’ onslaught on cultural and linguistic rights, please see PEN Belarus, PEN International, and PEN America’s joint submission to the UN Human Rights Council. 

To learn more about the work of PEN Belarus, including its monitoring of violations of cultural and human rights affecting cultural figures, please click here. 

3 March 2026 – Press freedom continued to be under sustained pressure in Europe in 2025, driven by legal threats, physical attacks and intimidation, attempts of media capture and transnational repression, according to the annual report of the partner organisations to the Council of Europe’s Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists. PEN International is a member of the Platform and contributed to the drafting of the report (available in English and French here). 

This situation was mitigated by initiatives in several states and at the European level to improve press freedom and journalists' safety, including the adoption of action plans to protect journalists and legislation in some countries to address issues such as abusive lawsuits, disinformation and source protection. 

The report, entitled On the Tipping Point: Press Freedom 2025, notes that Russia’s war against Ukraine remained the most serious threat to journalists: four media workers were killed, others were injured, and many remain detained in occupied territories or have disappeared. 

Across Europe, journalists were often physically attacked during protests by police, political actors and protesters. This kind of attack was reported in one quarter of the states covered by the report, with the highest levels recorded in Georgia, Serbia and Türkiye. 

In several countries, public service media were subject to political interference, restrictive legislation and insufficient funding. Abusive lawsuits, known as Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), continued to be used widely to silence the media. In this regard, the platform partners welcome the initiatives in a number of countries to implement both the EU directive and the Council of Europe recommendation against SLAPPs. 

The report also expresses concern about the reported digital surveillance of journalists via spyware, the transnational repression of journalists, “foreign agent” legislation adopted or planned in several countries, and the precarious working conditions of media workers in many countries. 

In 2025, the platform partners published 344 alerts of serious threats to media freedom, a significant increase (+29%) from 2024, when 266 were registered. The countries with the highest number of alerts were Russia (50), Türkiye (49), Georgia (35), Serbia (35) and Ukraine (27) - mostly related to Russian-occupied territories or attributed to Russian forces. 

The most frequent category of alerts (90) was related to attacks on journalists’ physical safety and integrity, including the killing of four media workers by Russian drone strikes, Ukrainian journalists Olena Hramova, Yevhen Karmazin and Tetyana Kulyk, and French photojournalist Antoni Lallican, and the death of the Turkish freelance journalist Hakan Tosun, after a brutal assault. By 31 December 2025, 51 killings of journalists remained unresolved on the platform. 

The report warns against the systematic use of deprivation of liberty as a tool of media control. As of 31 December 2025, 148 journalists were held in detention across Europe, including 36 in Azerbaijan, 32 in Russia, 27 in Belarus, 26 held by Russia in the occupied territories of Ukraine, 24 in Türkiye, two in Armenia and one in Georgia. 

The platform partners urge the Council of Europe, the European Commission, and the 46 Council of Europe member states to enforce press freedom standards. They recommend, as a matter of priority, strengthening journalists' safety, fully implementing anti-SLAPP standards, safeguarding the independence of public service media, and increasing the protection of women journalists, among other measures. 

The partners highlight that the Council of Europe’s New Democratic Pact for Europe should place media freedom, media pluralism and journalist safety at the core of democratic resilience, include safeguards against disinformation and media capture, as well as a roadmap to integrate journalist-safety objectives into relevant Council of Europe activities. 

While regretting that in 2025, fewer than one-third of the alerts received a government reply, the partners call on states to increase their cooperation with the Platform. 

The Platform’s annual report covers the 46 Council of Europe member states, as well as Russia, following its expulsion from the Council of Europe in 2022, and Belarus. 

***** 

The Council of Europe’s Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists was set up by the Council of Europe in 2015, in co-operation with prominent international NGOs active in the field of the freedom of expression and associations of journalists, to provide information which may serve as a basis for dialogue with member states about possible protective or remedial action. 

The 15 partners are the European Federation of Journalists, the International Federation of Journalists, the Association of European Journalists, ARTICLE 19, Reporters without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Index on Censorship, the International Press Institute, the International News Safety Institute, Rory Peck Trust, the European Broadcasting Union, PEN International, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, Free Press Unlimited and the Justice for Journalists Foundation. 

Note to editors: 

For further details contact Aurélia Dondo, Head of Europe and Central Asia Region at PEN International  

For media queries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, Head of Communications and Campaigns at PEN International      

27 February 2026: Today, on World NGO Day, PEN International celebrates the vital contributions of NGOs across the globe. From defending the right to freedom of expression to responding to humanitarian crises, civil society organisations play an essential role in building peaceful and inclusive societies.

For NGOs to share their expertise at the United Nations (UN), they must obtain ECOSOC consultative status, granted through the UN Committee on NGOs.

As an ECOSOC-accredited organisation, PEN International recognises the crucial role that civil society plays in advancing the UN’s founding principles as expressed in the UN Charter, and the role that the Committee plays as an effective gatekeeper for NGO participation at the UN. The member States sitting on this Committee directly shape which civil society organisations can engage with the UN system. For these reasons and more, competitive elections are essential.

As elections to this Committee approach, we join the International Service for Human Rights and NGOs from around the world calling on ECOSOC Member States to vote for candidates that support civil society access and participation at the UN.

The full joint letter can be found below:

To the Members of the regional groups of ECOSOC Member States

Cc: President of ECOSOC, President of the General Assembly, President of the Human Rights Council, UN Secretary-General.

We, the undersigned civil society organisations, write to you ahead of the April 2026 elections to the UN ECOSOC Committee on Non-Governmental Organisations (Committee on NGOs) to urge your regional group to demonstrate leadership in advancing civil society participation at the United Nations by fielding more candidates than the number of available seats.

The Committee on NGOs plays a pivotal role in determining which civil society organisations can obtain ECOSOC consultative status, which in turn enables these organisations to meaningfully engage with the work of the UN as a whole.

Unfortunately, in the upcoming election cycle, most regional slates are already closed or risk being non-competitive, meaning that candidate States will be elected without providing Member States with a genuine choice. Only one regional slate currently offers competition (the Eastern European group), underscoring a significant democratic deficit in this process.

Competitive elections matter because:

1. They foster accountability. When regional groups present more candidates than seats, Member States and civil society can engage meaningfully with prospective members, evaluate their records, and vote for the States that are most committed to supporting civic space and NGO participation at the UN.

2. They strengthen the legitimacy and integrity of the Committee on NGOs. A competitive field enhances confidence that elected members reflect the shared commitment of the UN Charter to inclusiveness, transparency, and principled engagement with civil society.

3. They open doors for diverse voices and expertise. Civil society organisations around the world provide indispensable insights on human rights, sustainable development, health, climate, and peace. A Committee on NGOs that is representative and committed to civil society access is essential to ensure that these voices are heard.

We therefore call on your regional group to:

• Encourage additional Member States with strong records of supporting civil society to stand for the election so that the number of candidates exceeds the number of seats available;

• Ensure that candidacies are confirmed and publicly announced in sufficient time before March 2026, allowing Member States and civil society to assess and engage with them; and

• Commit to promoting a transparent, participatory and competitive election process for the Committee on NGOs.

By stepping forward with a competitive slate, your regional group can reinforce the principle that civil society access and participation are essential to a strong, effective multilateral system and help to safeguard the UN’s commitment to inclusive, informed decision-making.

We thank you for your attention and remain ready to support constructive engagement throughout this electoral process.

Respectfully,

List of signatories NGOs

In Africa:

1. Africa Development Interchange Network (ADIN)

2. Amnesty International Kenya

3. Association pour le Respect du Droit des Populations Autochtones du Développement Durable et du Droit de l’Homme (ARPA2DH)

4. Centre pour l’Information Environnementale et le Développement Durable

5. Champions for Nature Conservation of Liberia

6. Coalition Ivoirienne des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (CIDDH)

7. Coalition of Somali Human Rights Defenders (CSHRD)

8. Disability Peoples Forum Uganda

9. Dunia Salama Foundation

10. Emonyo Yefwe International

11. Friends with Environment in Development

12. Humanitaire Plus

13. JOINT: Liga de ONGs em Moçambique

14. Kutakesa

15. Ligue Burundaise des Droits de l’Homme ITEKA

16. Network of the Independent Commission for Human Rights in North Africa (CIDH AFRICA)

17. NGO: Amis des Etrangers au Togo (ADET)

18. Nigerian Women Agro Allied Farmers Association

19. Observatoire Africain des Droits de l’Homme, de l’Environnement et des Ressources Naturelles (OADHER-RDC)

20. One 4 Africa

21. Pastoralist Women for Livelihood and Social Support (PWLS)

22. Savie ASBL NGO LGBTQ DRC

23. Silver Lining for the Needy Initiative (SLNI)

24. Tanzania Child Welfare (TCW)

25. The Kesho Trust

26. The Lesbian and Gay Association of Liberia (LEGAL-Liberia)

27. Underprivileged Welfare Support Development Association

    In Asia Pacific:

28. Aine Sohayata Kendro Asok Foundation

29. Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation (AWAM)

30. Blue Diamond Society

31. Cisadane Resik Indonesia

32. Empower India

33. Human Rights Development Centre

34. ILGA Asia

35. International Centre for Ethnic Studies

36. Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law (KIBHR)

37. Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organization in Malaysia (MERHROM)

38. Pusat Komas

39. Salam for Democracy and Human Rights

    In Eastern Europe:

40. Estonian Institute of Human Rights

    In Latin America and the Caribbean:

41. AKAHATA A.C.

42. Aqualtune Lab

43. Casa Marielle Franco Brasil

44. Clima21

45. Coalizão Negra por Direitos

46. Corporacion Ilex Accion Juridica

47. Instituto Coletivo Black Divas

48. Instituto Marielle Franco

49. PerifaConnection

50. Sociedad Cooperativa Chac Lol

51. Synergía – Initiatives for Human Rights

    In Western Europe and Other States:

52. Alliance for Democracy in Laos

53. ALQST for Human Rights

54. American Civil Liberties Union

55. Asociación Española para el Derecho Internacional de los Derechos Humanos (AEDIDH)

56. Coordination des Associations et des Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience

57. International Legal Initiative

58. Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada

59. National Alliance of Women’s Organisations (NAWO)

60. Refugee Council of Australia

61. US Women Connect

62. World Christian Life Community

    International:

63. Amnesty International

64. British Black Anti Poverty Network

65. CIVICUS

66. Coalition for the UN We Need (C4UN)

67. Company of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul

68. Democracy Without Borders

69. Front Line Defenders

70. Humanists International

71. IFEX

72. International Council of Women (ICW-CIF)

73. International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)

74. MENA Rights Group

75. International Planned Parenthood Federation*

76. PEN International*

77. Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center

78. The William Gomes Podcast

79. Transparency, Accountability & Participation Network

80. UN Antiracism Coalition (UNARC)

81. UPR Info

*Joint the letter after it was sent to regional groups

24 February 2026: Today marks four years since the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to PEN Ukraine and partners, at least 263 cultural figures have been killed by Russian forces. PEN International urges the Russian Federation to immediately end its war of aggression and reiterates calls on the international community to support all efforts to ensure accountability for the people of Ukraine. Perpetrators of human rights violations, war crimes and crimes against humanity must be held to account, and survivors must be provided with full reparations.  

PEN International is proud to publish an essay by Volodymyr Yermolenko, President of PEN Ukraine, reflecting on the impact of the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine.  

The opinions expressed in this essay are the author’s own. 

*****  

Walls of Life 

At night, when the drones seem very close, we take the children to the hallway. Since the war began, we’ve been told to follow the ‘two-wall rule’. Stay away from glass – it might injure you. Look for walls – they might save you. 

The children bed down on large cushions (instead of mattresses) placed directly on the floor. Sometimes they fall asleep immediately and we hear them snoring. Our girls each sleep with their own melody and rhythm; you can’t mix them up. Sometimes they sit there, hugging their knees to their chest and listening to the darkness. Sometimes they snuggle up to us, trying to slip their little hands into our clothing. As if it were our skin.  

Two years ago, the drones were slow. Their engines sounded like mopeds. That’s what Ukrainians nicknamed them: mopeds flying from Russia and bringing death. Now they’re quick, equipped with jet engines. Like cruise missiles. Instinctively you tell yourself you won’t have time to take cover anyway, and you carry on lying in bed. But even in your sleep, your brain forces you to think about your children. So you take them and move them to the hallway. The two-wall rule. 

At times in human history, walls have proved destructive. They cut us off from others. They shut certain people out. They are passionately torn down in the name of freedom. 

Sometimes the opposite is true, and walls protect us like armour. Find yourself a wall and hang onto it. Otherwise you’ll die.  

Sometimes there are too many walls, sometimes too few. History never gives the same answer twice. It’s a wave, a vibration, a string. To understand history you need a good ear.  

Four years of large-scale war, twelve years of war in total. Two of our three daughters were born during the war. Our youngest, Yaroslava, has lived half of her life during the full-scale war. 

She has paper-thin skin that reveals the lace of her veins. She’s always had the look of a child from another planet. She looks like a little fish. She will swim deep.  

In this war the Russian army wants to kill us all. To wipe out hundreds of thousands of people, children and teenagers, babies and pregnant women, adults, the elderly, the strong and the frail. And they are killing us. Ukrainians are too free for them, too convinced that freedom is life itself. ‘Official’ Russian history teaches Russians that freedom means collapse and death, therefore they should hate freedom. Unfortunately, most of them do.  

War forces you to think about children again and again. Many people are primarily driven by the desire to protect their children, both those who go to the front and those who take their children and leave the country. Giving birth to new life and preserving it is what keeps us going.  

There are many positives in today’s world, but there’s one thing that I don’t like – we’ve lost sight of the miracle of birth. People are so obsessed with their own lives that they are increasingly unwilling to make way for new life. People have forgotten that life is not only valuable in and of itself, but also as a journey along the river towards new life. People have forgotten the metaphysics of old that revolved around birth and conquering death.  

We are having fewer children and the wave of time is carrying us into old age. Towards one big waiting room for the dying.  

Peaceful societies drift along this slow river of ageing. Predatory societies unleash death to annihilate as much as they can.   

Tyrants love death. Tyranny is a thanatocracy – rule by death. Thanatocracy is when you think death is the most effective means of governing. The paradox is that death also wants to live, to squeeze genuine life out of its empire.  

Putinism in Russia and Trumpism in America are regimes in love with destruction. They know how to destroy, but they don’t know how to create. 

We want to create. We want our children to survive. We want to give birth to more children. 

Every month, my wife Tetyana and I travel to the front. We take cars for our soldiers. So far we’ve bought and delivered over fifty. We donated the latest two to some guys who’ve just returned to the army after being wounded. They still laugh and crack jokes, but war has settled in their eyes. Those who have lived through war recognise each other by the look in their eyes.  

The roads in frontline towns are increasingly covered with anti-drone nets. Small drones cannot pass through and get tangled in them, just as real birds do. These nets are often fishing nets, sent from all over the world, and sometimes, when driving these roads, you feel as if you’re swimming underwater. Or moving through a kingdom of giant spiders that have enveloped our pathways with their webs. As if they were the true masters of these places.  

But the nets can’t protect you from large drones, and occasionally we see burnt-out cars on the road. Some of their passengers survived; others didn’t make it.  

This winter has been extremely cold, with temperatures dropping to -20. The Russian army is destroying Ukrainian energy infrastructure, including major power stations that supply electricity and heat. Thousands of blocks of flats in Kyiv (which means hundreds of thousands of people) are without heating. It’s the same in other big cities. If people only have electric stoves at home, they have no way of cooking. This is how the Russian army is punishing Ukrainians for wanting to be free. To be ourselves. 

Our children often do their homework by lamplight. War is part of their childlike world. For now, this world is triumphing over war, and they laugh, play and run riot like every other child in the world.  

For now, the power of birth is stronger than the power of death and dying in their lives. Will it always be that way? We are fighting for it with every ounce of our strength. 

We know that when the drones are flying we have to take the children to the hallway. Find a wall and shelter behind it.  

But even where walls no longer exist, there are still people. Ukraine has built a wall with its own bodies. With the bodies and souls of its people. This wall is fragile; it’s not made of bricks. Every soul in it is irreplaceable. Every death is irreversible, forever.  

How long will we hold out? We don’t know. As long as we’re still breathing. It’s -20 outside and milk-white vapour escapes from our mouths. Somewhere in the ether, angels breathe out and cover the sky with clouds. Children find the shapes of their favourite animals in them.  

Their world, their childlike world, has to triumph in the end.  
 

By Volodymyr Yermolenko 

Translated by Helena Kernan 

***** 

Стіни життя  

Вночі, коли нам здається, що дрони летять зовсім близько, ми переносимо дітей у коридор. Ще від початку війни нас учили дотримуватися правил двох стін. Уникайте близькості до скла, воно може поранити; шукайте стін, вони можуть захистити.  

Діти лягають на великі подушки (замість матраців) прямо на підлогу. Інколи вони одразу засинають, і ми чуємо їхні сопіння: у кожної з наших дівчат мелодія і ритміка сну своя, ніколи не сплутаєш. Інколи вони сидять, обійнявши коліна руками, і вслухаються в темряву. Інколи притуляються до нас, намагаючись проникнути своїми рученятами під наш одяг. Наче під шкіру.  

Два роки тому дрони летіли повільно, звук їхніх моторів нагадував мопеди. Так українці їх і прозвали: мопеди, що летять з Росії і несуть смерть. Зараз вони летять швидко, оснащені реактивними двигунами. Вже як крилаті ракети. Несвідомо ти кажеш собі, що все одно не встигнеш сховатися. І ти би лежав у своєму ліжку й далі, але навіть уві сні мозок наказує думати  про дітей. І ми беремо їх і переносимо у коридор. Правило двох стін.  

Інколи в людській історії стіни є згубними. Вони затуляють нас від інших. Вони залишають когось поза межами.  Їх пристрасно руйнують у пошуках свободи. 

Інколи навпаки, стіни стають нашою бронею. Знайди свою стіну і тримайся за неї. Інакше загинеш.  

Інколи стін забагато, інколи замало. Історія ніколи не дає однакових відповідей. Це хвиля, вібрація, струна. Для розуміння історії потрібен слух.  

Чотири роки великої війни, дванадцять років війни загалом. Двоє з трьох наших доньок народилися під час війни. Найменша, Ярослава, прожила половину свого життя у великій війні. 

У неї тонесенька шкіра, за якою видно мереживо вен; у неї завжди був погляд дитини з іншої планети. Вона схожа на маленьку рибку. Вона плаватиме глибоко.  

У цій війні російська армія хоче нас усіх вбити. Знищити життя сотень тисяч людей, дітей і підлітків, немовлят і вагітних, дорослих, старих, міцних і крихких. І вона вбиває. Украінці для неї занадто вільні, і занадто вірять у те, що свобода - це життя. Російська ж “офіційна” історія вчить росіян, що свобода - це розпад і смерть. Тому свободу треба ненавидіти. На жаль, більшість із них так і робить.  

Війна змушує знову й знову думати про дітей. Прагнення захистити своїх дітей є головною мотивацією багатьох - як тих, хто йде на фронт, так і тих, хто бере своїх дітей і їде з ними за кордон. Народження нового буття і збереження його: це нас тримає.  

Є багато хороших речей у сучасному світі, але є річ, яка мені не подобається: ми знецінили таємницю народження. Люди занадто закохані в свої життя, і все рідше дають дорогу життю новому. Люди забули, що життя цінне не лише саме по собі, а й як подорож рікою до життя нового. Люди забули давню метафізику, яка була так зосереджена на народженні і подоланні смерті.  

Ми стали менше народжувати, а тому хвиля часу нас несе у стан старців. У великий будинок для помирання.  

Мирні суспільства течуть цією повільною рікою старіння; хижі суспільства вивільняють смерть, щоб збільшити небуття.  

Тирани люблять смерть. Тиранія - це танатократія, правління через смерть. Танатократія - це коли ти вважаєш смерть найкращим інструментом управління. Парадокс у тому, що смерть теж хоче жити - і вичавлювати справжнє життя з його володінь.  

Путінізм у Росії, трампізм в Америці - це сили, закохані у знищення. Вони знають, як руйнувати, але не знають, як створювати.  

А ми хочемо створювати. Ми хочемо, щоб наші діти вижили. Ми хочемо, щоб народжувалося більше дітей.  

Щомісяця ми з моєю дружиною Тетяною їздимо на фронт. Ми веземо автівки для наших військових. Ми вже купили і відвезли понад пʼятдесят. Дві останні ми передали хлопцям, які повернулися до війська після поранень. Вони все одно жартують і посміхаються, але в їхніх очах оселилася війна. Ті, хто пройшов крізь війну, впізнають один одного за поглядом. 

Дороги прифронтових міст все більше вкривають антидроновими сітками. Малі дрони їх не подолають і заплутаються - як заплутуються в них справжні птахи. Сітки ці часом рибальські, їх надсилають з усього світу, і часом на цих дорогах в тебе враження, що ти пливеш під водою. Або просуваєшся володіннями величезних павуків, які обплели наші шляхи своїм павутинням. Немов справжні володарі цих місць.  

Але від великих дронів сітки не захищають, і час від часу ми бачимо на дорозі спалені машини. У них були люди, хтось урятувався, а хтось не встиг.  

Зима цього року дуже холодна, температура падає до -20. Російська армія знищує українську енергетику, великі теплоелектростанції, що подають струм і тепло. Тисячі багатоквартирних будинків у Києві - а значить сотні тисяч людей - живуть без опалення у своїх квартирах. Те саме в інших великих містах. Якщо їхні квартири мають лише електроплити, то їм ще й нема на чому приготувати їжу. Так російська армія карає українців за їхнє бажання бути вільними. Бути собою. 

Наші діти часто роблять уроки під світлом пересувних ламп. Війна - частина їхнього дитячого світу. Поки що цей світ війну перемагає, і вони сміються, граються і бешкетують, як і всі інші діти в усьому світі.  

Поки що в їхніх життях сили народження сильніші за сили вмирання та смерті. Чи так буде завжди? Ми боремося за це з усіх сил. 

Ми знаємо, що коли летять дрони, дітей треба нести в коридор. Знайти свою стіну і сховатися за неї.  

Але там, де не лишилося стін, залишаються люди. Україна створила стіну зі своїх власних тіл. З тіл і душ своїх людей. Ця стіна крихка, вона не з каміння. Кожна душа в ній незамінна. Кожна смерть - це неповернення, назавжди.  

Як довго ми протримаємося? Ми не знаємо. Поки ми дихаємо. На вулиці -20, і біла, як молоко, пара злітає з наших губ.  

Десь у небі дихають янголи, і вкривають небеса хмарами. Діти впізнають у них улюблених тварин.  

Їхній, дитячий, світ має нарешті  перемогти.  

Note to editors: 

For further details contact Aurélia Dondo, Head of Europe and Central Asia Region at PEN International: Aurelia.Dondo@pen-international.org  

For media queries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, Head of Communications and Campaigns at PEN International: Sabrina.Tucci@pen-international.org  

23 February 2026: PEN International has joined a coalition of media freedom and journalist organisations in an open letter calling on the UK Government to urgently secure and sustain funding for the BBC World Service. Addressed to the Foreign Secretary, the letter warns that uncertainty over the World Service’s future funding threatens access to independent, public-interest journalism worldwide at a time of growing global instability and democratic decline.


Rt. Hon. Yvette Cooper MP, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs

 23 February 2026

 The BBC World Service provides a vital service at a critical time and must be defended not defunded

 Dear Rt. Hon. Yvette Cooper MP,

 We are contacting you as Foreign Secretary to call on the UK Government to ensure the BBC World Service has the funding it needs to maintain its vital work as a public service broadcaster. The undersigned organisations were alarmed by the recent comments made by the BBC Director General that the outlet’s current funding arrangements only extend to the end of March 2026. It is vitally important that FCDO immediately makes the necessary funding available to maintain the World Service’s important work, while also ensuring a sustainable funding model for the outlet’s continued viability to ensure this issue is not repeated in the future. 

Speaking at a Global Media Security and Innovation event in February, Tim Davie, the BBC’s Director-General said: “the current funding arrangement with the Foreign Office runs out at the end of March” and that the BBC is “waiting to hear the outcome of the settlement.” This alarming news threatens to hasten the decline of high-quality and accessible international public interest reporting. Following the US Government’s move to defund Voice of America and Radio Free Europe (RFE/RL), while private outlets such as Washington Post have also closed a number of international bureaus, if the World Service were to similarly lose its funding, the public interest information space upon which democracy depends would surely be in significant jeopardy. 

 Public service broadcasting is one of the most potent tools available to champion democracy and reinforce the international rules-based order. It also helps challenge repressive regimes who seek to control or censor journalistic reporting and hinder the public’s access to information. The World Service’s recently-announced plans to establish an “emergency lifeline radio programme for Iran” to respond to the unprecedented clampdown on civil society and protected speech best demonstrates the outlet’s innovative defence of free expression in the most challenging contexts. This work must be defended not defunded.  

 We acknowledge the Government’s position that the World Service’s funding is to be decided “through the FCDO allocations process” and that the decision will be made in “good time before the beginning of the 2026-27 financial year.” However, considering the urgency of this situation, we call on the FCDO and all other relevant policy makers to respond in good time to ensure the World Service, as a world leading public service broadcaster, can continue its vital work. Any uncertainty and instability in the World Service’s funding will directly hinder its work and impact those across the globe who depend on its public service reporting.

 We are ready to support where we can and await your response.

 Kind regards, 

PEN International
Index on Censorship
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
Reporters Without Borders UK (RSF)
Association of European Journalists (AEJ)
Justice for Journalists Foundation (JFJ)
Rory Peck Trust (RPT)
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
National Union of Journalists (NUJ)

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‘José Rubén Zamora should never have been imprisoned for his journalism. The authorities must immediately drop all charges and put an end to this judicial harassment, which has sent an intimidating message to the entire Guatemalan press’. Romana Cacchioli, Executive Director of PEN International. 

13 February 2026 — PEN International welcomes the judicial ruling issued on 12 February 2026 granting house arrest to the Guatemalan journalist Jose Rubén Zamora Marroquín, founder of elPeriódico, who has been arbitrarily detained since 29 July 2022. Zamora has been transferred to house arrest from prison while he faces ongoing proceedings on an alleged charge of money laundering, which has been widely denounced as an act of judicial harassment for his investigations into state corruption. 

On 29 July 2022, the National Civil Police arrested Zamora at his home on trumped-up charges of money laundering, blackmailing, influence peddling and conspiracy to launder money, while also carrying out a raid at elPeriódico’s newsroom and freezing Zamora’s and the newspaper’s assets. Following Zamora's detention, elPeriódico has been subjected to relentless political, financial, and legal harassment, forcing nine journalists into exile. ElPeriódico ceased operations on 15 May 2023.  

The legal proceedings against Zamora have been marked by irregularities and undue restrictions. During his trial, he faced severe obstacles, including limitations on his ability to present exculpatory evidence and witnesses, the harassment and persecution of his legal defence team, the abusive use of pretrial detention, as well as the alleged disappearance of documents from the case file. The granting of house arrest does not remedy the more than three years of arbitrary detention he has faced, nor does it bring an end to the judicial harassment against him. 

In June 2023, he was sentenced to six years in prison for money laundering; although a court of appeals overturned the conviction and ordered a retrial, repeated delays have unduly prolonged his deprivation of liberty. In May 2024, he had already been granted a house arrest measure, but on 10 March 2025, he was returned to prison after an appeals court revoked that decision. 

On 2 July 2024, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention released an opinion on Zamora’s case, stating that the imprisonment of Zamora is arbitrary, and that his ‘detention was a result of the legitimate exercise of the right to freedom of expression’. The opinion declared that ‘no trial should be held’, and an ‘appropriate remedy would be to immediately release Mr. Zamora’ and provide him with proper compensation.  

PEN International urgently calls on the Guatemalan authorities to immediately and unconditionally drop all pending charges against José Rubén Zamora Marroquín and to put an end to any form of judicial harassment against him. It further urges the Guatemalan government to ensure that the justice system is not used as a mechanism to silence critical journalism and to adopt effective measures to protect freedom of expression in the country. 

Note to Editors   

• For more information, please contact Alicia Quiñones, Head of the Americas Region, PEN International: alicia.quinones@pen-international.org   

• For media queries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, Head of Communications and Campaigns, PEN International: Sabrina.Tucci@pen-international.org 

‘Sentencing Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison is an act of profound cruelty. It is a punishment intended not only to silence one man, but to extinguish independent journalism from Hong Kong. Given Jimmy Lai’s age, years of solitary confinement, and rapidly deteriorating health, this sentence risks becoming a life sentence.’ Romana Cacchioli, Executive Director of PEN International

‘The distressing news of Jimmy Lai's latest sentence is of grave concern to PEN and the many organisations and individuals who have been advocating for his freedom. We remain in solidarity with Jimmy and his family and call on the UK to act urgently and decisively to secure his release.’ Daniel Gorman, Director, English PEN

Update:

26 February 2026: Jimmy Lai’s 2022 fraud conviction, under which he had been sentenced to five years and nine months in prison, has been overturned on appeal.

While the ruling is a welcome development, it does not change the reality that the 78-year-old remains in prison serving a lengthy sentence under Hong Kong’s National Security Law. He has been detained since 2020 and continues to face serious concerns regarding his health and wellbeing.

The quashing of the fraud conviction offers only limited relief, and it remains unclear on whether it will result in an effective reduction of his total sentence. Ultimately, it does not alter the broader injustice of his continued imprisonment for the peaceful exercise of his rights.

9 February 2026: PEN International and English PEN strongly condemn the sentencing of writer, media publisher, and activist Jimmy Lai to 20 years’ imprisonment under Hong Kong’s National Security Law (NSL). Imposed on a 78-year-old British citizen who has already endured more than five years in prolonged solitary confinement, this draconian punishment will likely ensure that he never regains his freedom. It represents a grave miscarriage of justice and a watershed moment in the dismantling of freedom of expression in Hong Kong.

Jimmy Lai, the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily, was sentenced on 9 February 2026 following his conviction in December 2025 on two counts of ‘conspiracy to collude with foreign forces’ under the NSL and one count of ‘conspiracy to produce seditious publications’ under Hong Kong’s colonial-era sedition law. The penalty is the harshest sentence yet handed down in a national security case in Hong Kong. Six former Apple Daily staff members were also sentenced, receiving prison terms ranging from six years and nine months to ten years.

Lai has been continuously detained since December 2020 and has now spent nearly 1,900 days in prison. Throughout this time, his family and legal team have repeatedly sounded the alarm about his declining health, including severe weight loss, dental decay, and increasing physical frailty. In September 2024, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded that Lai’s detention was arbitrary under international law and called for his immediate release.

The conditions of Lai’s detention raise profound human rights concerns. Prolonged solitary confinement, particularly when imposed on an elderly detainee, is widely recognised as a form of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. Despite sustained international appeals, the Hong Kong authorities have shown little regard for Lai’s health, dignity, or fundamental rights. The decision to impose a 20-year sentence in these circumstances is not only punitive; it is vindictive.

Jimmy Lai’s case cannot be viewed in isolation. It is emblematic of the systematic erosion of freedom of expression in Hong Kong since the imposition of the National Security Law in June 2020. Once a global centre for independent media and open debate, Hong Kong has been transformed into a jurisdiction where writers and journalists face criminal prosecution for their work. Apple Daily, once the territory’s most influential pro-democracy newspaper, was forced to close in June 2021 after its leadership was targeted and arrested.

The broader chilling effect of the NSL is now impossible to deny. Independent media outlets and bookshops have been shuttered. Politically sensitive books have been removed from libraries. Self-censorship has taken hold across the media and publishing sectors. And closed-door trials, vaguely defined offences, and judges handpicked by Hong Kong's Chief Executive to hear national security cases have hollowed out the legal safeguards that once distinguished Hong Kong’s legal system.

Jimmy Lai’s continued imprisonment demands decisive action from the UK government. PEN International and English PEN call on the UK, together with other governments committed to defending freedom of expression, to intensify diplomatic efforts to secure his release. Expressions of concern are no longer sufficient. Time is running out.

Jimmy Lai is not only a publisher and activist, but also a writer and a lifelong advocate for freedom of expression. He is the author of more than 20 books and the recipient of PEN Canada’s One Humanity Award in recognition of his courage and principled commitment to free expression. His continued imprisonment represents a profound injustice to one individual, and a devastating blow to the future of free expression in Hong Kong.

PEN International and English PEN are in solidarity with Jimmy Lai, his family, and all those in Hong Kong who continue to speak out under immense pressure. We reiterate our call for Jimmy Lai’s immediate and unconditional release, and for an end to the use of national security laws as instruments to silence writing, journalism, and peaceful dissent.

Note to editors:

For further details, contact Michael Altman Rosen-Lupu, Head of Asia/Pacific Region at PEN International: michael.rosen-lupu@pen-international.org

For media queries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, Head of Communications and Campaigns at PEN International: sabrina.tucci@pen-international.org

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“PEN International stands in full solidarity with Syrian writers, journalists and others who face threats for their peaceful expression and stands shoulder to shoulder with all Syrians in their peaceful struggle for freedom and justice. Only by recognising the rights of all Syrians can it create a space for a transition to a peaceful, just, and equal Syria for all,” said Romana Cacchioli, Executive Director of PEN International. 

9 February 2026: PEN International is gravely concerned about the freedom of expression environment in Syria amid the systematic persecution of minorities and entrenched impunity for perpetrators of violence throughout the first year under the transitional government. The rise of hate speech, coupled with systematic violence against religious and ethnic minorities, represents a significant barrier to all Syrians' rights to freedom of expression and to take part in cultural life.  

PEN International calls on the transitional government to end impunity over grave human rights violations, including the systematic persecution of minorities, and to ensure equal rights to all Syrians, including freedom of expression and protection from hate speech, discrimination and violence. The organisation also calls for independent investigations into all acts of violence committed over the last year, and for those responsible to be held accountable in accordance with international law.  

Over a year since the downfall of the al-Assad regime in December 2024, the conduct of the transitional Syrian government has raised grave concerns due to its extreme background and reports of the systematic persecution of minorities across the country. The interim Syrian President, Ahmed al-Sharaa, was under UN sanctions as the leader of the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which was formerly linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS. In November 2025, the UN Security Council voted to lift sanctions on al-Sharaa following a resolution sponsored by the US government. In the same year, transitional government security forces and affiliated militia groups engaged in major attacks on religious and ethnic minorities across the country, committing acts that may constitute war crimes. The attacks coincide with a horrendous rise in hate speech and identity-based incitement to violence being directed against minorities, creating a suffocating environment for freedom of expression, particularly among the Alawi, Druze, and Kurdish communities. The impact on writers has been profound: many have lost their homes and personal belongings, including books and libraries, while others were forced into self-censorship, fearing for their lives. In reports to PEN International, writers who survived the attacks on the Kurdish, Druze, and Alawi communities have described horrific levels of violence committed against their families and communities. This includes accounts of the widespread kidnapping of civilians, including women, systematic looting and pillaging, destruction of property, and the extrajudicial killings of civilians, resulting in a climate of fear and polarisation that has paralysed their ability to work and creatively express themselves. 

 In one case, a writer reported the disappearance of two family members during the attacks on the Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsoud and Al-Ashrafiyah neighbourhoods of Aleppo in January 2026, accusing government-affiliated forces of kidnapping them. Later, the kidnappers contacted the family and demanded a ransom amounting to several thousand US dollars for each family member. Writers from the city of Suwayda reported widespread abductions and killings of civilians, lootings, and destruction of property during the attacks on the governorate in July 2025. In one case, a writer reported that their family members survived a knife attack only to be shot later in their home by transitional government forces and affiliated militias, who ransacked their house. Another reported that their home was completely burned down, including their library, while their family members were forced to flee their homes. A writer who survived the attacks on coastal areas in March 2025 told PEN International that they witnessed most of their neighbours being slaughtered inside their homes and in the streets due to their religious background. Their home and shop were ransacked, and their car was burned down by the interim government forces and affiliated militias.  

In August 2025, a theatrical production by prominent twin stage actors, the Malas Brothers, was suspended in the coastal city of Tartus, following their criticism of the transitional government's attacks against Alawi and Druze communities on social media. Although the transitional government’s Ministry of Culture claimed the suspension was a misunderstanding and that the ministry respects artistic freedoms, the twin artists state they were censored.  

Similarly, in December 2025, the renowned Syrian musician and composer Malek Jandali announced the last-minute cancellation of his Syrian Symphony for Peace tour after he was informed he would not be able to play his music at Homs city’s Clock Square, which has become a symbol of resistance against al-Assad and was intended to be a central element of the tour. Jandali had previously announced his plans to travel to Syria to celebrate the first anniversary of al-Assad's downfall through music with the Syrian public. However, just hours before his departure, he was informed that a major part of his planned tour was cancelled, with conflicting explanations given by the authorities. 

Additional information 

Attacks on the Kurdish-controlled areas in North-East Syria  

In March 2025, the transitional Syrian government signed a deal with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls large areas in north-east Syria, to completely end all hostilities, integrate with the government forces and handover control over their territory. The agreement also recognised the rights of the Kurdish community as a part of the Syrian state, yet it has not set guarantees or protections for their rights. Over the last year, transitional government forces and their affiliated militias have engaged in sporadic clashes with the SDF, in an attempt to take over the areas under SDF control. In July 2025, the transitional government enforced a blockade over the Kurdish-majority neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Al-Ashrafiyah in Aleppo city, cutting off essential supplies to the whole population in what was characterised by Syrian human rights groups as Assad regime tactics. Similarly, in December, the same neighbourhoods came under siege by government forces, resulting in major interruptions to electricity, water, and internet services. 

In January 2026, clashes erupted again between the transitional government and its allied forces, and the SDF’s fighters at the Sheikh Maqsoud and Al-Ashrafiyah neighbourhoods of Aleppo, resulting in the mass displacement of tens of thousands of civilians. During the clashes, both parties accused each other of conducting attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and medical staff. Media outlets and human rights groups reported dozens of civilian casualties, attacks on civilian infrastructure, and extrajudicial killings of civilians, yet so far, no independent investigation into such grave human rights violations has been conducted. 

Attacks on the Alawi minority 

In August 2025, the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic published its report documenting the violence perpetrated in coastal and western areas in Syria, primarily targeting the Alawi community, since January 2025. The Commission found that many acts were perpetrated by militias affiliated with the transitional government, including murder, torture and inhumane acts related to the treatment of the dead, widespread looting and burning of homes, and displacement of tens of thousands of civilians, may amount to war crimes. 

The violence escalated in March 2025, as armed groups affiliated with the former al-Assad regime launched attacks on multiple military sites of the interim government in Latakia and Tartous. In response, the government and its allied militias retaliated by targeting the Alawi community in coastal areas. According to the Commission’s report, Alawi men were systematically targeted based on their religious affiliation, separated from women and children before being led outside to be shot and killed. The Commission raised concerns in August that it ‘continues to receive information about ongoing violations in many of the affected areas, including abductions of women, arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances, as well as continued looting and occupation of property’. 

A joint report by Human Rights Watch, Syrians for Truth and Justice, and Syrian Archive found that at least 1,400 people were killed as a result of the transitional government and its affiliated militias' attacks on more than 30 Alawi-majority towns, villages, and neighbourhoods. An investigation by Reuters in June 2025 documented horrific acts and identity-based killings against Alawites and established direct links between perpetrators and the current government. 

Attacks on the Druze minority 

The situation in Suwayda deteriorated in July 2025, when tension escalated between Druze armed groups and Bedouin tribes and their allies, leading to armed clashes. On 15 July, Syrian government forces announced their entry into Suwayda in response to these clashes, which led to further escalation. Amnesty International documented the deliberate killing of 46 Druze people by government and government-affiliated forces on 15 July and 16 July. PEN International documented testimonies of Syrian writers who confirmed that identity-based persecution, enforced displacement, and destruction of personal property have been rampant in Suwayda. Israel has also conducted airstrikes against Syrian government forces on 15 July, leading to the murder of at least 15 members of government forces.  

A ceasefire agreement was reached between Druze militias, Bedouin fighters and government-affiliated militias after almost a week of clashes that killed between 800 and 900 people. On 31 July, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported the displacement of 192,000 individuals across Suweyda, Dar’a, and Rural Damascus, with the majority displaced within Suweyda. Sporadic armed incidents occurred after the ceasefire announcement, and UN reports assess that the security situation in Suwayda is still unpredictable amid a deteriorating humanitarian situation. The clashes and instability in Suweyda have disrupted the movement of people and goods, leading to shortages of essential goods, soaring prices, and affecting the provision of essential services for weeks. 

Note to Editors:

For further information, please contact Mina Thabet, Head of the MENA Region at PEN International: Mina.Thabet@pen-international.org. 

For media enquiries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, Head of Communications and Campaigns at PEN International: sabrina.tucci@pen-international.org.  

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]]>Syria: One year on, a transition marked by bloody repression sparks grave concern for the country’s future  Statement2026VenezuelaPEN InternationalThu, 05 Feb 2026 15:27:17 +0000https://www.pen-international.org/news/venezuela-pen-international-welcomes-the-release-of-rory-branker628f9ae10b12c8255bd8814d:6298db625ac70e646e1763c6:6984b658d501574057cb668a

‘While we welcome Rory Branker’s release, he should never have been detained. His arbitrary detention exemplifies the misuse of the criminal justice system to punish independent journalism in Venezuela. We continue to call for the immediate release of all journalists who remain unjustly imprisoned in Venezuela’. Burhan Sonmez, President of PEN International. 

5 February 2026 – PEN International welcomes the release of Venezuelan journalist Rory Branker on 4 February 2026, after being subjected to arbitrary detention for almost a year. While his release is a positive step, Rory Branker should never have been detained in retaliation for his journalistic work. 

Rory Branker, a Venezuelan journalist, columnist and editor at the digital outlet La Patilla, was detained on 20 February 2025 in Caracas, Venezuela. After being temporarily held at the infamous El Helicoide detention centre and other locations, he was then transferred to the Tocorón Penitentiary Centre in Aragua state, where he remained until his release. The authorities attempted to justify his arbitrary detention by reportedly accusing him of ‘treason’, ‘financing of terrorism’ and ‘conspiracy’, criminal offences carrying sentences of up to 30 years in prison. 

Branker’s arbitrary detention was marked by enforced disappearance, transfers without notification, prolonged incommunicado detention, procedural opacity and the absence of full guarantees of legal defence.  

PEN International has actively campaigned for Rory Branker’s release, including through the global Day of the Imprisoned Writer campaign, which has received active support from PEN Centres around the world in drawing attention to his arbitrary detention as an act of retaliation for his journalistic work. 

Branker’s release comes amid announcements by Venezuelan authorities of the planned closure of El Helicoide detention centre and a proposed general Amnesty Law, which is currently under legislative discussion. While PEN International welcomes these announcements, it maintains that any amnesty measure must result in full, unconditional freedoms for those persecuted for their peaceful expression, and that authorities must bring a definitive end to further misuse of the legal system against those exercising their right to freedom of expression, artistic freedom and the full enjoyment of cultural rights. Any plan to restore the rights of those who have been persecuted for exercising their right to freedom of expression must not be used as a means to shield those responsible for rights violations, including state officials, from accountability. 

Following Rory Branker’s release, PEN International calls for the full restoration of all his rights, the cessation of any ongoing proceedings or restrictions against him, and effective guarantees enabling him to practise journalism without fear of reprisal. The organisation also reiterates its call on the Venezuelan authorities to end the systematic harassment of journalists and to ensure they can work safely and freely, particularly in the context of the country’s political transition. 

PEN International will continue to monitor and raise awareness of the situation in Venezuela and call for the immediate and unconditional release of all journalists and communicators arbitrarily detained in the country. 

For more information, please contact Alicia Quiñones, Head of the Americas Region, at PEN International: alicia.quinones@pen-international.org   

 For media queries, please contact  Sabrina Tucci, Head of Communications and Campaigns at PEN International: sabrina.tucci@pen-international.org   

‘That Furkan Karabay finds himself under house arrest after spending over 200 days behind bars on spurious grounds shows that the authorities of Türkiye will stop at nothing to muzzle his investigative reporting. We continue to stand with Karabay and fellow young writers who risk everything to speak truth to power’. Burhan Sonmez, President of PEN International

03 February 2026 – The authorities of Türkiye should immediately release journalist and author Furkan Karabay from house arrest and end their relentless judicial harassment, PEN International said today. The organisation further urges the authorities to uphold the rights to freedom of expression and information, and to stop weaponizing the justice system to silence independent voices.

On 23 January 2026, police detained Furkan Karabay and placed him under house arrest on suspicion of ‘publicly spreading misleading information’ and ‘making targets of those who were tasked to combat terrorism’. The allegations against Karabay stem from his reporting on the case targeting the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB), which notoriously led to the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu in March 2025, setting off massive protests across Türkiye. The investigation against Karabay is ongoing at the time of writing.     

Furkan Karabay has been repeatedly targeted by the authorities of Türkiye in recent years on account of his critical reporting. Already 2 December 2025, the Istanbul 25th High Criminal Court found Karabay guilty of ‘insulting the president’, ‘insulting a public official’ and ‘making targets of those who were tasked to combat terrorism’ on account of his journalistic work and handed him a combined prison sentence of four years and three months. Karabay – who spent 201 days in pre-trial detention – was freed due to time served. PEN International, its newly established Young Writers Committee, and PEN Centres across the world actively campaigned for his release, notably translating and publishing some of his short stories. PEN International calls for Karabay’s baseless conviction to be overturned on appeal.

Once again, PEN International urges the authorities of Türkiye to end the arbitrary arrest and detention of writers and journalists simply on the basis of the content of their writing, and to safeguard the crucial role of journalism in fostering dialogue and debate on matters of public interest.

Additional information

Furkan Karabay, born 15 May 1996, has worked with several media outlets in Türkiye, including Medyascope, Cumhuriyet, 10Haber, Oda TV, and Gerçek Gündem. He notably specialises in judicial developments. In 2024, Karabay published Gurban, a book detailing his investigation into businessman Mubariz Mansimov’s activities with the government in Türkiye as well as his rise and fall.

Karabay responded to his house arrest with a new short story, translated into English by Ege Dündar, writer, Board member of PEN International and Vice-Chair of PEN International’s Young Writers Committee. Reflections From Detention: ‘I Don't Know Why They're Putting You Through This’ is available on Tomorrow Club here.

Note to editors:

For further details contact Aurélia Dondo, Head of Europe and Central Asia Region at PEN International

For media queries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, Head of Communications and Campaigns at PEN International     

“Last month, the Myanmar military attempted to legitimise its rule through a carefully orchestrated electoral process. This so-called election was nothing more than an effort to impose a veneer of legality over the junta's authoritarian grip on power. By dismantling all four pillars of democracy, the military has stripped the Myanmar people of their basic rights and extinguished any genuine chance for peace.” — Ma Thida, Chair of PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee

2 February 2026: Five years after Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup on 1 February 2021, the country remains trapped in a deepening humanitarian and human rights catastrophe.

The junta has ruled through terror, killing civilians, dismantling democratic institutions, and systematically silencing those who dare to speak out. PEN International stands in solidarity with Myanmar’s writers, poets, and journalists, who continue to resist repression at extraordinary personal risk.

Since the coup, the military has killed more than 6,800 people and arbitrarily detained over 22,000 others. At least 3.6 million people have been internally displaced, while more than one-third of the population now requires humanitarian assistance. These figures only begin to convey the scale of devastation inflicted by the regime.

Attacks on freedom of expression lie at the heart of the junta’s strategy of control. Over the past five years, dozens of writers, journalists, and artists have been imprisoned without due process. Among them is writer and activist Wai Moe Naing, who is serving a combined sentence of 74 years in prison. Others have died as a result of torture and appalling detention conditions. One such case is documentary filmmaker Pe Maung Sein, who was released only when gravely ill and died days later from the mistreatment he endured in prison.

The junta has weaponised the law to criminalise dissent. Section 505(a) of the criminal code is routinely used to punish even the most minimal expressions of opposition. A black social media profile picture, a shared news article, or a critical comment can result in arrest, torture, and years behind bars. New legislation, including the Cybersecurity Law, has further entrenched military control over online spaces. Enacted in January 2025, the law bans VPN use and criminalises online expression, placing ordinary people under constant threat.

Internet shutdowns are among the military’s most pervasive tools of repression. Myanmar is one of the world’s worst perpetrators of connectivity blackouts, which are frequently imposed alongside airstrikes and ground assaults. These shutdowns conceal atrocities, obstruct humanitarian assistance, and endanger lives.

The deadly consequences of this information blackout were laid bare during the devastating earthquake that struck Myanmar in March 2025. Thousands were killed and entire communities were destroyed. Even as survivors searched for loved ones under the rubble, the junta restricted internet access, choking off the flow of potentially life-saving information.

Myanmar’s writers and journalists are also increasingly being forced into exile. Many have fled to neighbouring countries, including Thailand, where they live precariously. Others remain inside Myanmar, risking detention amid intensified house-to-house searches linked to the junta’s policy of forced conscription.

One writer forced into hiding was the former president of PEN Myanmar, Nyein Chan, known by his pen name Nyi Pu Lay. Following the coup, the junta issued a warrant for his arrest under Section 505(a). Subjected to harsh living conditions and denied access to adequate medical care due to the risk of arrest, Nyi Pu Lay died of a heart attack on 21 June 2023.

The plight of the Rohingya community remains one of Myanmar’s gravest human rights failures. Rohingya civilians face forced conscription, atrocities, and indiscriminate violence. Already subjected to years of genocidal attacks and mass displacement, they are once again caught between warring forces in Rakhine State. Rohingya poets and writers­—many of whom are living in exile or displacement camps—continue to bear witness to a crisis the world must not ignore.

In January 2026, as the military pressed ahead with a tightly controlled, multi-phase election, the junta claimed it was restoring democracy. In reality, the process was yet another attempt to entrench military rule and mislead the international community.

At the core of the election lay an assault on free expression and political participation. Ahead of the vote, the junta enacted a sweeping new election law criminalising any criticism of the election process or the legitimacy of the polls. More than 200 people have already been charged. The law is not designed to protect electoral integrity. Instead, its purpose is to silence dissent, intimidate voters, and eliminate alternative narratives.

Nevertheless, five years on, the people of Myanmar continue to show extraordinary courage. Writers, journalists, and artists persist in documenting abuses and imagining a different future.

PEN International calls for an immediate end to the violence, the unconditional release of all those imprisoned for their peaceful expression, and the lifting of all restrictions on independent media and internet access. The organisation urges the international community to reject the junta’s sham electoral process, ensure accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity, and provide sustained support to Myanmar’s writers and journalists, both inside the country and in exile.

Note to editors:

For further details, contact Michael Altman Rosen-Lupu, Head of Asia/Pacific Region at PEN International: michael.rosen-lupu@pen-international.org

For media queries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, Head of Communications and Campaigns at PEN International: sabrina.tucci@pen-international.org

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]]>Myanmar: Five years after the coup, expression remains under attackCuba2026Joint StatementPEN InternationalTue, 27 Jan 2026 14:07:11 +0000https://www.pen-international.org/news/cuba-the-unjust-convictions-against-jos-gabriel-barrenechea-chvez-and-rapper-nando-obdc-must-be-overturned628f9ae10b12c8255bd8814d:6298db625ac70e646e1763c6:6978c60e61f9af7100d5c314

27 January 2026 — Civil Rights Defenders, ARC – Artists at Risk Connection, PEN Cuba in Exile, and PEN International strongly condemn the prison sentences imposed on the Cuban writer and independent journalist José Gabriel Barrenechea Chávez, and the rapper, artist and activist Fernando Almenares Rivera (known as Nando OBDC). Both cases demonstrate the systematic use of Cuba’s criminal justice system to punish the exercise of freedom of expression and artistic expression. 

On 15 January 2026, the Provincial People’s Court of Villa Clara publicised the six-year prison sentence against José Gabriel Barrenechea Chávez, finding him guilty of the offence of “public disorder” and imposing the maximum penalty requested by prosecutors. By criminalising his participation in a peaceful protest and the practice of independent journalism, this ruling constitutes a grave violation of his fundamental rights and reflects a further escalation in the Cuban authorities’ systemic repression of peaceful dissent and freedom of expression. 

Barrenechea was detained on 8 November 2024 following his participation in a peaceful protest in Encrucijada, Villa Clara. Although he was accused of allegedly leading the demonstration, video evidence shows that he neither engaged in violence nor incited disorder. Both his detention and his trial, held in late September 2025, raised serious concerns regarding transparency and violations of due process. 

Barrenechea is currently held at La Pendiente prison in Santa Clara, and his health has significantly deteriorated since his arrest. He has suffered from severe malnutrition, infections, sleep disorders, anxiety, and depression. The cruelty of his imprisonment was compounded when authorities denied him the right to say goodbye to his mother, who was suffering from cancer and passed on 4 May 2025. 

Meanwhile, on 19 January 2026, it was made public that the rapper Fernando Almenares Rivera, known as Nando OBDC, was sentenced to five years in prison for the alleged offence of propaganda against the constitutional order, in relation to his artistic expression in August 2024, when he displayed messages critical of those in power in the city of Havana, including “Cuba First in the Streets for Human Rights.” 

The conviction confirms how the Cuban authorities continue to persecute creators who use art as a form of social protest. Since his provisional detention on 31 December 2024, Nando OBDC has been held at the Cuba–Panamá prison in the province of Mayabeque, where he went on a hunger strike in July 2025. His conviction and imprisonment are an example of the authorities’ misuse of the legal system to silence a critical artistic expression. 

The persecution of José Gabriel Barrenechea Chávez and Fernando Almenares Rivera, Nando OBDC are emblematic of a broader pattern of censorship and repression against writers, artists, journalists, and activists in Cuba. Independent voices continue to face surveillance, harassment, censorship, arbitrary detention, and prison sentences. 

Initiatives such as the Voces Presas campaign show the growing number of imprisoned artists and writers in Cuba, while the joint report Método Cuba exposes how state authorities routinely use judicial harassment, criminal charges, and punitive prison sentences as tools to silence dissent and force critics into exile. 

Civil Rights Defenders, ARC – Artists at Risk Connection, PEN Cuba in Exile, and PEN International demand the immediate and unconditional release of José Gabriel Barrenechea Chávez and Nando OBDC, as well as the annulment of their unjust convictions. Likewise, we urge the Cuban authorities to immediately end harassment against artists and writers and to comply with their international human rights obligations, including the rights to freedom of expression, artistic freedom, and peaceful assembly and protest. 

We also call on the international community to continue supporting efforts to expose the systematic repression against artists, writers, and journalists in Cuba, and to reject narratives that seek to silence the practice of art, music, and independent journalism in the country. 

No more #VocesPresas 

About ARC 

ARC – Artists at Risk Connection is an international organisation committed to promoting and advancing the right to artistic freedom worldwide. Founded in 2017, ARC works to protect artists and cultural workers who are at risk because of their creative expression, often connected to their identities or roles within their communities. By providing vital resources and support, ARC helps artists at risk overcome challenges like persecution, censorship, threats, and violence from both state and non-state actors—whether for their artistic expression or the broader impact they have on cultural, social, and political issues. 

Learn more: artistsatriskconnection.org 

About CRD 

CRD - Civil Rights Defenders is a politically and religiously independent human rights organisation. Founded as the Swedish Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in 1982, we partner with and support human rights defenders who work in some of the world’s most repressive regions. Our vision is a world of democratic societies in which we all enjoy our civil and political rights. 

Learn more: crd.org  

About PEN International 

PEN International is the foremost and largest association of writers, standing at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression around the world. Founded in London in 1921, PEN International connects an international community of writers. PEN operates across five continents through over 130 centres, in over a hundred countries. It is a forum where writers meet freely to discuss their work; it is also a voice speaking out for writers silenced in their own countries. PEN International works to promote the PEN Charter to ensure that people everywhere have the freedom to create literature, to impart information and ideas, to express their views, and to access the views, ideas, and literature of others. 

Learn more: www.pen-international.org 

Note to editors: 

For further information, please contact Alicia Quiñones, Head of the Americas Region at PEN International: alicia.quinones@pen-international.org.   

For media enquiries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, Communications and Campaigns Manager at PEN International: sabrina.tucci@pen-international.org.  

23 January 2026 – With the human rights record of Georgia coming under review at the United Nations on 26 January 2026, PEN Georgia, PEN International and PEN America reiterate urgent concerns over the Georgian authorities’ systematic onslaught on fundamental rights and independent voices, including in the cultural sphere. The organisations call on the UN Human Rights Council and its Member States to provide concrete recommendations aimed at holding Georgia accountable for its human rights violations. 

PEN Georgia, PEN International and PEN America have made a joint submission on Georgia as part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process in advance of its upcoming review by the UN Human Rights Council on 26 January 2026. As documented in PEN’s report, between 2021 and 2025, the Georgian authorities enacted a wave of repressive laws severely restricting the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. Journalists, writers, artists, and activists have faced harassment, arbitrary detention, and physical violence – with complete impunity. Independent media and civil society stand on the brink of survival, while cultural institutions continue to face government interference and intimidation. 

‘PEN’s submission exposes the shocking speed and scale of the crackdown unleashed by the Georgian authorities during the period under review. Alarmingly, a recent BBC broadcast alleged that prohibited toxic chemicals – similar to those used in World War I – were deployed against protesters in 2024. Yet instead of launching an independent investigation, the authorities targeted experts, journalists and others who dared testify in the documentary and are said to explore legal actions against the BBC. We urge an immediate end to the clampdown and call on UN Member States to take concrete measures to advance human rights and accountability in Georgia’, said Khatuna Tskhadadze, PEN Georgia President. 

‘We continue to stand with veteran journalist and Sakharov Prize laureate Mzia Amaglobeli as well as acclaimed poet and translator Zviad Ratiani, who have been repeatedly targeted on account of their dissenting views, and subsequently sentenced to prison on politically motivated grounds. We reiterate calls for their release and urge UN Member States to pay close attention to the critical role played by writers in upholding fundamental rights in Georgia,’ said Ma Thida, Chair of PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee.  

‘The Georgian authorities have deliberately sought to undermine the independence of the country’s vibrant arts scene to wield control over writers’ and artists’ work and silence critical voices. Staff and leaders of national cultural institutions have been callously dismissed from their positions due to their free expression. The Georgian authorities must uphold the independence of the cultural sector and stop retaliating against free expression. UN Member States should urge Georgia to compensate and – when legally possible – reinstate unlawfully dismissed cultural workers. Cultural institutions must be free from government interference,’ said Liesl Gerntholtz, Managing Director of the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Center at PEN America.   

Note to editors: 

For further details, please contact Aurélia Dondo, Head of Europe and Central Asia Region at PEN International 

For media queries, please contact  Sabrina Tucci, Head of Communications and Campaigns at PEN International   

‘The relentless persecution of Egyptian poet Ahmed Douma unveils the true extent of the Egyptian authorities' efforts to silence critical voices.  Intimidating critics by weaponising the justice system against them every time they write a simple post on social media signals profound insecurity within the Egyptian authorities.  Governments should encourage and protect people’s rights to criticise, question, and hold those in power accountable, for without freedom of expression, societies wither rather than flourish and progress.’ Burhan Sonmez, President of PEN International. 

22 January 2026: PEN International condemns the arrest and brief detention of Egyptian poet and activist Ahmed Douma for his online expression. The Egyptian government must stop weaponising the justice system to intimidate and silence critics and end its vicious assault on freedom of expression in the country.  

Since Douma was released in August 2023 after over a decade in prison, PEN International has recorded at least five open investigations into Douma over his writings and online commentary, in which he faced identical charges and was forced to pay punitive bail fees exceeding EGP 230,000 (approximately USD 4,850).  We call for all charges against Ahmed Douma to be dropped, his travel ban to be lifted, and for all his personal belongings, including his writings, to be returned without delay. 

On Monday, 19 January 2026, Security agents arrested Egyptian poet and activist Ahmed Douma at his home in Cairo without disclosing the reason for his arrest and took him to an unknown location.  The following day, Douma was interrogated by the Supreme State Security Persecution (SSSP) concerning charges of ‘disseminating false news inside and outside the country’ in relation to his online posts about the alleged assault of imprisoned activist Mohamed Adel.  According to his family, Douma was handcuffed and blindfolded for almost 12 hours before he was interrogated.  During his arrest, security agents confiscated many of his electronic devices, including two mobile phones, a laptop, an iPad, a camera, a hard disk and flash drives.  The seized devices contained archives of Douma’s writings, including those written in prison, and drafts of ongoing writing projects, including poetry and short story collections. The SSSP ordered his release on the same day following a lengthy interrogation into his online commentary on bail of EGP 100,000 (approximately USD 2,120). 

Despite receiving a presidential pardon in 2023 after being subjected to over a decade in prison, which was deemed arbitrary by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), the Egyptian authorities have continued to intimidate and threaten Douma in an effort to silence him.  PEN International has documented a series of intimidating tactics, threats, and physical attacks designed to silence him and discourage any challenge to the government’s narrative.  He was repeatedly summoned for investigations and faced similar charges in five separate cases related to his writings since 2024.  

In July 2024, Douma faced an online smear campaign after pro-government religious figures deemed parts of his 2021 poetry collection Curly as being an act of ‘blasphemy.’ On 5 October, the Egyptian Public Prosecutor opened an investigation into complaints against Douma, accusing him of writing ‘blasphemous phrases’ in his poetry collection.  On 15 October, Douma was physically assaulted by three individuals in plain clothes in an apparent targeted attack.  On 10 November, the SSSP released Douma on bail of EGP 20,000 (approximately USD 420) after an eight-hour investigation concerning statements he made on social media about the MV Kathrin, a cargo ship previously linked to transporting weapons to Israel, docking at Egypt’s Port of Alexandria.  He was not allowed to receive a copy of the case file or details about the complaint that spurred the investigation.  

In April 2025, Douma was charged with ‘disseminating false news inside and outside the country’ and released on EGP 10,000 (approximately USD 210) bail, in relation to his online posts.  Similarly, in July, the SSSP charged him with ‘disseminating false news undermining state prestige’ in relation to his commentaries on different issues, including deadly road traffic accidents, fees on humanitarian aid to Gaza, criticism of pro-government media figures, and for sharing a cover of the Arabic translation of Juan José Millás’ novel  Tonto, muerto, bastardo e invisible.  He was released on bail of EGP 50,000 (approximately USD 1055).  Again in September 2025, the SSSP charged Douma with ‘disseminating false news’ in a new case concerning a series of online posts about his experience in Egyptian prisons.  He was later released on bail of EGP 50,000 (approximately USD 1055).  

In December 2025, Douma obtained a passport for the first time in over a decade.  However, he was prevented from boarding a flight to Lebanon by security officials at Cairo International Airport, who cited a travel ban without giving any details.  Douma said he was not aware of any travel bans against him. 

Background 

Since President al-Sisi seized power in 2014, the country's human rights situation has continually deteriorated.  However, since he decided to run for a second term in 2018, the country has slipped into an unprecedented human rights crisis.  Egyptian authorities continue to systematically punish any public or perceived dissent and severely repress the rights to peaceful assembly, association and freedom of expression.  Scores of journalists, human rights defenders, activists and bloggers have been arbitrarily arrested, detained for prolonged periods without trial, and faced trumped-up charges solely in relation to their work or critical views.  

For more information, please contact Mina Thabet, Head of the MENA Region, PEN International: Mina.Thabet@pen-international.org 

For media queries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, Head of Communications and Campaigns, PEN International: Sabrina.Tucci@pen-international.org  

“When a government turns criticism into an enemy and journalism into a target, it does not only attack those who inform; it deliberately weakens the fundamental rights of society as a whole.” Burhan Sonmez, President of PEN International

“In today’s Argentina, maintaining a critical voice increasingly means facing a hostile environment, where stigmatisation, persecution and the threat of legal action seek to discipline speech.” Gabriel Seisdedos, President of PEN Argentina

21 January 2026: PEN International expresses its deep concern over the state of freedom of expression in Argentina, which has shown a sustained and multifaceted deterioration over the last year. This situation is marked by the growing use of legal harassment against journalists, the criminalisation of opinion, the weakening of public communication policies, and the misuse of state power to intimidate and censor critical voices. 

One of the most alarming features of this period has been a dramatic increase in the use of legal harassment as a means to silence and intimidate journalists. Throughout 2025, President Javier Milei promoted and initiated criminal complaints against journalists for opinions and commentary related to their professional work. Those targeted include Julia Mengolini, Jorge Rial, Fabián Doman, Mauro Federico, Nicolás Lantos, Carlos Pagni, Ari Lijalad and Viviana Canosa. These actions, based on offences such as defamation, slander or false accusation, constitute a clear pattern of using the judicial system to intimidate, exhaust and deter critical journalism. 

This climate of legal persecution is compounded by campaigns of harassment and digital violence, amplified from the highest levels of government. During a hearing in the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), journalists and human rights organisations reported coordinated attacks including mass defamation, threats, hacking attempts, identity theft and the use of artificial intelligence to fabricate false content for the purpose of intimidation. The IACHR warned of a persistent trend of stigmatisation, criminalisation and threats against journalists and human rights defenders, and expressed its willingness to conduct a visit to the country. 

A joint report by the University of Buenos Aires, the International Federation of Journalists, and local CSOs documented a 66% rise in such incidents in 2025, reflecting an increasingly hostile environment for journalism in public spaces and for the public’s right to be informed. 

The government’s suspension of the implementation of the Fund for the Promotion of Audiovisual Communication Media (FOMECA) has left thousands of non-profit media projects without support, while more than 13 billion pesos in collected funds remain unallocated. This defunding, together with legislative initiatives aimed at repealing the Professional Journalists’ Statute and reports of intelligence activities targeting journalists, reinforces a broader context of precaritisation, surveillance and control. 

PEN International urges the Government of Argentina to immediately cease the legal harassment and stigmatisation of journalists and communicators, and to refrain from using the power of the state to pursue critical voices. The organisation also reiterates calls on the government to guarantee full conditions for the exercise of freedom of expression by adhering to domestic law and its international human rights obligations. 

Note to Editors  

• For more information, please contact Alicia Quiñones, Head of the Americas Region, PEN International: alicia.quinones@pen-international.org  

• For media queries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, Head of Communications and Campaigns, PEN International: Sabrina.Tucci@pen-international.org  

“We are horrified to see such a deadly response to people’s legitimate demands for better economic conditions. Iranian authorities have systematically stifled and repressed dissent over the years. We stand in solidarity with the Iranian people and their fundamental right to freedom of expression,” said Burhan Sonmez, President of PEN International. 

16 January 2026: PEN International strongly condemns the deadly crackdown on protests across the country, including the mass arbitrary detention and the unlawful use of force against peaceful protestors, and the implementation of blanket censorship and internet blackouts across the country.  

The organisation raises grave concerns over the Iranian authorities’ treatment of arbitrarily detained protestors and officials’ threats of expedited trials without due process. The rights to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression, fair trial, and access to information are inalienable rights for all Iranians and are protected under international law.  

The recent crackdown came in response to widespread protests against the government's mishandling of the economy, including the collapse of the country’s local currency and persistently high inflation. The resulting erosion of living standards has been compounded by endemic corruption and the impact of unilateral sanctions, which an independent UN expert views as having an ‘overall adverse effect on the broad spectrum of human rights’, in a report published following her state visit to Iran in 2022. 

On 28 December 2025, protests erupted in Iran’s Grand Bazaar in Tehran and other major commercial centres, and rapidly spread to provinces and cities across the country. As the protest movement continued over recent weeks, resulting in thousands of Iranians taking to the streets, authorities quickly moved to suppress what became the country’s largest protest movement since 2022. Human rights organisations have documented the unlawful use of force by Iranian security forces against largely peaceful protestors, including the use of firearms, teargas, and mass arbitrary arrests to suppress the protestors. According to media reports, eyewitnesses saw security forces open fire ‘into lines of protesters, and people fell where they stood’. On 8 January 2026, Iranian authorities imposed a near-total internet and communications blackout, severely restricting Iranians' ability communicate with the outside world.  

The internet and communications shutdown have made it extremely challenging to access and verify information about the true scale and the extent of the ongoing crackdown. However, senior Iranian officials’ statements indicate a zero-tolerance policy for what they deemed to be ‘rioters’ and ‘foreign agents’, with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei insisting that ‘rioters must be put in their place’ – despite acknowledging the legitimacy of the protestors' demands and the need to address them. The head of Iran’s judiciary vowed to expedite trials of protestors, with mounting concerns that many could face executions for taking part in the protests.  

The Iranian authorities' brutal response to the protests has resulted in scores of deaths, injuries, and mass arrests of protestors across the country. A human rights group focusing on Iran, Iran Human Rights, said the death toll could reach up to 3,500 people, according to their documentation, with the casualty figures rising exponentially since 8 January 2026. Other media sources have estimated as many as 12,000 fatalities. An online video verified by the BBC shows scores of dead bodies at a mortuary in Tehran, indicating a large number of fatalities.  

In recent weeks, cities and provinces across Iran have reportedly experienced unprecedented levels of surveillance and censorship. According to media reports, Iranian authorities have deployed surveillance drones, signal jammers, and a rapid-response propaganda apparatus to coincide with the deployment of security forces in an attempt to suppress dissent.  

Iranian authorities have previously imposed nationwide internet shutdowns while launching deadly crackdowns, contributing to an environment of impunity. In November 2019, Iranian authorities killed over 300 people in a deadly response to anti-government protests that erupted following a significant increase in fuel prices. During the crackdown, Iranian authorities employed a nationwide internet blackout, cutting off access to over 80 million people. Similarly, during the Women Life Freedom protests that occurred in 2022, authorities cut off the internet in parts of Tehran and Kurdistan and blocked access to platforms such as Instagram and WhatsApp, while violently repressing the protests. More recently, the authorities shut down the internet again during the 2025 war with Israel, curtailing access to information across the country. 

For further information, please contact Mina Thabet, Head of the MENA Region: Mina.Thabet@pen-international.org. 

For media enquiries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, Head of Communications and Campaigns at PEN International: sabrina.tucci@pen-international.org.   

‘The arbitrary detention of writers and journalists solely for doing their jobs is a grave injustice and a direct assault on the public’s right to know. While we welcome the release of five journalists, their detention should never have occurred. The authorities in Venezuela must end their criminalisation of free expression and immediately free all those who remain detained for speaking truthfully and peacefully.’ Ma Thida, Chair of PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee. 

15 January 2025.- PEN International welcomes the release on 14 January 2026 of five journalists in Venezuela who were unjustly detained for carrying out their journalistic work. Their release marks a positive step, but it does not undo the harm caused by their arbitrary detention or address the broader deterioration of Venezuela’s freedom of expression environment resulting from decades of repression.  

The journalists released are Luis López (La Verdad), Leandro Palmar (LUZ Radio), Belices Salvador Cubillán (LUZ Radio), Nakary Mena Ramos (Impacto Venezuela), and Gianni González (Impacto Venezuela), who were detained between 2024 and 2025.  

Following their release, there has been no clear public confirmation that the charges against them have been dropped, or that they no longer face judicial proceedings, or other restrictions, which is indicative of the arbitrary nature of their detention.  We remain deeply concerned about Venezuelan journalist, editor and columnist Rory Branker, who has been arbitrarily detained since February 2025.   

More broadly, PEN International condemns the ongoing repression in public spaces, including the harassment of journalists, writers, and artists, who remain at risk of detention and seizure of their personal devices, which could then be subject to searches for political content. These concerns are further heightened by the publication of Decree No. 5.200, on 3 January 2026, which imposes severe restrictions on the right to freedom of expression, including access to information. 

Although framed in terms of ‘security’ and ‘defence’, the decree authorises the pursuit and detention of individuals accused of vaguely defined ‘promotion or support’ of recent events, creating a serious risk of persecution for anyone engaged in journalistic reporting, analysis, or critical commentary. In doing so, this decree will further deteriorate Venezuela’s freedom of expression environment, fuelling surveillance, intimidation, and widespread self-censorship. 

PEN International calls on the Venezuelan authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all journalists, writers, and artists detained for exercising their right to freedom of expression; drop all charges and lift any restrictions against those already released; end the repression, harassment, and intimidation of journalists, communicators, and artists, including in the streets and online; and to uphold its international obligations regarding freedom of expression. 

 Note to editors:  

For further information, please contact Alicia Quiñones, Head of the Americas Region at PEN International: alicia.quinones@pen-international.org.    

For media enquiries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, Head of Communications and Campaigns at PEN International: sabrina.tucci@pen-international.org.   

Urgent protection required for human rights defenders, journalists, and other individuals jailed for their writing, expression, or assembly, amid nationwide protests and internet shutdown

15 January 2026: As mass repression of protests and dissent dramatically intensifies in Iran amidst an almost complete communications shutdown, the Free Narges Coalition and more than 30 undersigned organisations call for urgent and concrete actions to circumvent internet censorship, as well as raising alarm regarding the grave threats to existing and newly-arrested detainees, particularly those jailed for their human rights work, journalism, expression, activism, or peaceful assembly.

Iran is facing one of the most severe periods of repression in its recent history. Protests that began in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar on December 28 against the collapse of the national currency grew in size and scope until authorities completely turned off Iran’s internet access to the outside world and began a more severe crackdown on January 8. Shocking images of dead protesters, doctors’ reports of overflowing hospitals and the lethal use of military-grade weapons and live ammunition, and the absence of access for journalists and independent media, have led to desperation of families missing loved ones, as well as grave concerns around the safety of thousands of those injured or detained. Human rights organisations and international media have been able to verify the killing of over 2,500 protesters, including children under the age of 18, and thousands injured, some severely while almost twenty thousand confirmed arrested. With the majority of the killings occurring since January 8, amid a full-blown digital blackout that has made further verification impossible, current reports estimate the number of killings to be much higher, likely amounting to more than 6,000. 

Meanwhile, in official statements, Tehran’s Prosecutor General has described protesters as vandals and threatened they will face moharebe (waging war against God), a charge that is punishable by death under Islamic Penal law. State media have also reported mass arrests of individuals they label as “rioters.”

According to NetBlocks, Iran has now experienced more than 140 hours of near-total internet shutdown since January 8. Such communications blackouts severely restrict access to independent reporting and sharing of essential and life-saving information, and create conditions in which grave human rights violations can be committed with impunity. Prior to the shutdown, human rights defenders and known dissidents both inside and outside of Iran had reported receiving threats, as authorities have attempted to suppress expressions of support for the protests online.

In this context, both recent and long-standing detainees—including human rights defenders, journalists, writers, and artists—face an acute and often overlooked risk. Past patterns in Iran demonstrate that periods of widespread unrest are accompanied by heightened abuses inside detention facilities, where these groups are particularly vulnerable to extrajudicial killing, enforced disappearance, torture, and other forms of ill-treatment. Those held in solitary confinement and denied contact with the outside world are at especially high risk.

Among those recently detained are prominent figures from Iran’s civil society, including Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Narges Mohammadi, Sepideh Gholian, Alieh Motalebzadeh, Javad Alikordi, Hasti Amiri, Pooran Nazemi, and other human rights defenders and journalists. They were violently arrested following the memorial ceremony for lawyer Khosrow Alikordi on December 12 in Mashhad, and have been held in solitary confinement, their whereabouts and condition unknown, for more than one month. Narges Mohammadi has been denied access to legal counsel and contact with her family, apart from a brief phone call on December 14 when she reported severe ill-treatment, including beatings to her head and neck with batons, as well as threats of further violence. On January 6, before the total internet shutdown, journalist and human rights defender Alieh Motalebzadeh, who has been diagnosed with cancer, was able to call her family. Her daughter reported in a video message that she did not sound well, stating that the detainees are under severe pressure. She was released on bail following deterioration of her health on January 12. The health condition of Pouran Nazemi is reported to be dire while she remains detained. Narges Mohammadi has been hospitalised for three days after her violent arrest and arbitrary detention since December 12. Due to the ongoing communications blackout, the families and lawyers have not been able to be in contact with them, including to inquire if their 30 day arbitrary detention order has been extended or not.  

We, the undersigned organisations, express our deep concern over the escalation of the killing of protesters, as well as the serious risk of arbitrary legal charges, punishable by the death penalty, against those detained. We stress that the lives and safety of those more vulnerable under detention in Iran must not be forgotten. Human rights defenders, journalists, writers, artists, and those prosecuted due their exercise of freedom of assembly and expression are at the forefront of the peaceful struggle for fundamental human rights. They must be protected and immediately and unconditionally released, and we call for immediate actions from the international community to halt the escalating violations of human rights and humanity.

As reports of mass arrests, killings, and widespread violence continue to escalate, we stand in full solidarity with the people of Iran in their legitimate struggle for fundamental freedoms and democratic rights. We urge the international community to take urgent and concrete actions to prevent further loss of life and to ensure that Iran uphold its international human rights obligations, including through:

• Immediate and unconditional release of all those jailed in Iran for their peaceful activism or expression, including Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Narges Mohammadi, as well as human rights and women’s rights defenders, civil society activists, journalists, lawyers, writers, artists, representatives of religious and ethnic minorities, environmental and labor defenders, students, and all others detained or at risk for exercising their fundamental rights.

• Immediate restoration of full and unrestricted access to internet and telecommunications services, and an end to nationwide information blackouts that censor news reporting, facilitate repression, block the transmission of essential and life-saving communications including for medical personnel, and impede documentation of human rights violations.

• Independent, impartial, and transparent investigations into killings, torture, lethal use of force by security agents, enforced disappearances, and other serious human rights violations committed in the context of the ongoing protests, with a view to ensuring accountability in line with international law.

As every hour of inaction increases the risk of irreversible loss of human life and gross violations of human rights. The international community must act urgently to protect the detainees, ensure their safety and rights, and prevent further violations under international law.

Signatures:

• PEN International

• Narges Foundation

• Front Line Defenders 

• PEN America

• Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

• All Human Rights for All in Iran

• Alliance des femmes pour la démocratie

• ARC – Artists at Risk Connection 

• ARTICLE 19

• Association for Human Rights of Azerbaijanis in Iran (ArcDH)

• Baloch activists campaign

• Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI)

• Coalition For Women In Journalism

• ECPM (Together against the death penalty)

• End Gender Apartheid International Campaign

• European Uyghur Institute

• Fondation des Femmes

• Haalvsh Human Rights Organization (Haalvsh)

• HÁWAR.help

• Iran House (NGO)

• Iran Justice

• Kurdistan Human Rights Association-Geneva (KMMK-G)  

• Kurdpa Human Rights Organization

• League for the Defence of Human Rights in Iran (LDDHI)

• Middle East Matters 

• Neda d’Iran

• Nobel Women’s Initiative (NWI)

• PEN Austria

• PEN Canada

• PEN Denmark

• PEN Melbourne

• PEN Norway

• PEN Sweden

• Stop honor killings

• Strategic Litigation Project, Atlantic Council

• United for Iran

Note to Editors: 

• This statement is organized by the Free Narges Coalition Steering Committee, led by the Narges Foundation, PEN America, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and Front Line Defenders.

• For more information, please get in touch with Mina Thabet, Head of the MENA Region, at email: Mina.Thabet@pen-international.org 

• For media queries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, PEN International Head of Communications and Campaigns, email:  Sabrina.Tucci@pen-international.org   

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]]>Iran: Detainees at high risk amidst a communications blackoutPhilippinesStatementPEN InternationalWed, 14 Jan 2026 15:28:12 +0000https://www.pen-international.org/news/philippines-writer-and-activist-amanda-echanis-acquitted-after-five-years-of-unjust-detention628f9ae10b12c8255bd8814d:6298db625ac70e646e1763c6:6967b511c41d437b3f89205a

“This acquittal confirms what Amanda Echanis has said from the beginning: the charge against her was baseless. Her case is a stark reminder of how red-tagging and fabricated charges continue to be used to silence writers, activists, and human rights defenders in the Philippines”. Ma Thida, Chair of PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee.

14 January 2026: PEN International welcomes the acquittal of poet, writer, and activist Amanda Echanis. A court in Tuguegarao City cleared her of a charge of illegal possession of firearms and explosives after she spent more than five years in detention. According to media reports, the decision was dated 27 December 2025 but was made public only today.

In its ruling, the court found that the prosecution failed to establish the essential elements of the case. PEN International has long warned that the charge against Echanis bore the hallmarks of a politically motivated prosecution. Her arrest on 2 December 2020 raised serious concerns, including allegations of evidence planting and violations of due process.

Authorities arrested Echanis at her home while she was caring for her then one-month-old child. She was detained on charges routinely used against individuals who have been ‘red-tagged’—publicly accused, without evidence, of links to communist insurgency groups. Repeated delays kept her in prolonged pre-trial detention, undermining her right to a fair and timely trial.

While PEN International welcomes this long-overdue decision, justice delayed is justice denied. Authorities should never have imprisoned Amanda Echanis, and no court ruling can restore the years taken from her and her family.

In light of this acquittal, PEN International renews its call on Philippine authorities to conduct independent and transparent investigations into the circumstances of Echanis’ arrest, including allegations of evidence planting. The organisation also urges an end to red-tagging, which continues to chill freedom of expression. PEN International further calls for the immediate release of all those still detained on politically motivated charges and for the enactment of concrete measures to ensure that writers and activists can work in the Philippines without fear of reprisal.

Background

Amanda Echanis has had a lifelong history with the Philippine justice system. In 1990, when she was less than two years old, she was held with her parents at a custodial detention centre after her father, a prominent activist for rural workers’ rights, was arrested on charges identical to those later brought against her. The case against Amanda’s father was dismissed in 1992. Three decades later, just months before Amanda Echanis’ arrest, in August 2020, her father was brutally murdered in a case that remains unsolved.

A writer and activist in her own right, Amanda Echanis is a graduate in creative writing from the Philippine High School for the Arts. In 2006, she published her first book, Tatlong Paslit na Alaala (Three Childhood Memories), a collection of stage plays examining the struggles of children across different socio-political contexts. She later deepened her involvement in social justice work, focusing on both urban and rural poverty. In 2014, she published the screenplay Nanay Mamen, which depicted the life of renowned anti-poverty activist Carmen ‘Nanay Mamen’ Deunida. Prior to her arrest, Echanis was also an organiser with the Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women in Cagayan.

Detention did not silence Echanis. Even while imprisoned, she continued to write and engage in literary life. She published Binhi ng Paglaya (Seeds of Liberation) and took part in writing workshops. In 2025, she made history as the first political prisoner elected to the University of the Philippines Diliman Student Council, underscoring the depth of public support for her work and her cause.

Note to editors:

For further details, contact Michael Altman Rosen-Lupu, Head of Asia/Pacific Region at PEN International: michael.rosen-lupu@pen-international.org

For media queries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, Head of Communications and Campaigns at PEN International:  Sabrina.Tucci@pen-international.org

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]]>Philippines: Writer and activist Amanda Echanis acquitted after five years of unjust detentionVenezuela2026StatementPEN InternationalThu, 08 Jan 2026 11:38:01 +0000https://www.pen-international.org/news/venezuela-calls-for-urgent-guarantees-for-press-freedom628f9ae10b12c8255bd8814d:6298db625ac70e646e1763c6:695d368c5460b5291a803e6c

“When journalists and writers are harassed, detained or deported for doing their work, the public’s right to information is undermined. PEN International condemns the arbitrary detention of journalists in Venezuela and calls on the authorities to immediately release those still imprisoned, to end all forms of intimidation against the press, and to restore conditions that allow journalists to work safely and without fear of persecution”.  Burhan Sonmez, President of PEN International 

8 January 2026: PEN International is deeply alarmed by the further deterioration of freedom of expression and press freedom in Venezuela, marked by a renewed wave of arbitrary detentions, intimidation, surveillance and censorship targeting journalists and media workers. These practices form part of a sustained pattern of repression that has intensified in recent days. 

On 5 January 2026, at least 14 journalists and media workers were temporarily detained in Caracas while covering events surrounding the inauguration of the National Assembly, Venezuela’s federal legislature, and the inauguration of Delcy Rodríguez as acting president. The detentions took place two days after a pre-dawn raid by US troops in Caracas captured ​​​​Nicolás Maduro. 

According to local and international press freedom organisations and media reports, 13 of those detained were affiliated with international media outlets and one with a national outlet. Most were arbitrarily detained for several hours by security forces  before being released without formal judicial proceedings, with one journalist subsequently deported. During their detention, security officials reportedly searched journalists’ equipment, forced them to unlock their mobile phones, reviewed private communications and deleted journalistic material. The detentions followed additional incidents on 4 January, when officials temporarily detained members of the Univision Noticias press team while they were reporting on a security operation at the Colombia–Venezuela border.  

Journalists in Venezuela face systematic obstacles to their work, including arbitrary arrests, lack of access to due process, confiscation and deletion of journalistic material, digital surveillance and restrictions on movement. Many are subjected to criminal charges without access to independent legal defence or fair judicial guarantees, reinforcing a climate of fear that directly impacts the public’s right to information. 

These recent events cannot be understood in isolation. They are part of a broader pattern of repression against journalists, writers, human rights defenders and critical voices that has intensified since the presidential elections of July 2024. National and international organisations, including PEN International, have documented arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, judicial harassment, censorship and the closure of media outlets, alongside the blocking of news websites and the imposition of restrictive administrative measures. 

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has warned of persistent and serious violations of freedom of expression in Venezuela. Since October 2025 alone, several journalists have been arbitrarily detained in different regions across the country, while radio stations have been shut down and independent media further restricted. These measures contribute to an environment in which journalists are deliberately silenced or forced into self-censorship. 

Despite some recent releases, journalists including Rory Branker remain imprisoned in Venezuela in retaliation for their journalistic work. Their ongoing arbitrary detention is emblematic of the country’s dire freedom of expression environment, and they must be released immediately and unconditionally. 

PEN International will continue to closely monitor developments in Venezuela and to work with partners to document violations against journalists and writers. PEN International urges the Venezuelan authorities to :guarantee that journalists can carry out their professional duties freely, without fear of persecution, intimidation, surveillance or arbitrary detention; to immediately release all journalists arbitrarily detained for their journalistic work.  

Venezuela must uphold its international obligations regarding freedom of expression, in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the American Convention on Human Rights, and other international and regional treaties signed and ratified by the Venezuelan State; and authorise an in-country visit by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).  

Note to editors: 

For further information, please contact Alicia Quiñones, Head of the Americas Region at PEN International: alicia.quinones@pen-international.org.   

For media enquiries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, Head of Communications and Campaigns at PEN International: sabrina.tucci@pen-international.org.