1 April 2025: Between 2020 and 2025, the Belarusian authorities have carried out a systematic and sustained assault on freedom of expression and cultural rights. Writers, artists, publishers, and other cultural figures have faced arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture, exile, censorship, and criminal prosecution. Independent cultural institutions have been shuttered, and hundreds of individuals have been blacklisted or labelled as “extremists” or “terrorists.” Repressive laws and politically motivated dismissals have created a climate of fear, forcing many into silence or exile. Cultural life is now subject to ideological control, while Belarusian language and identity are being eroded under a policy of enforced Russification and integration with the Russian Federation.

15 July 2025: Between 2021 and 2025, Georgian authorities enacted a wave of repressive laws severely restricting freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. Journalists, writers, artists, and activists have faced harassment, arbitrary detention, physical violence, and heavy fines. Media freedom and civil society have been undermined by “foreign agent” laws and censorship, while cultural institutions have been subjected to political interference.

“As the very principles of international human rights and humanitarian law are being increasingly questioned by governments worldwide, we must redouble our efforts, defending the values that unite us: freedom, justice, and equality.” Ma Thida, Chair of PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee. 

 
21 March 2025: PEN International is proud to launch Identity on Trial: Persecution and Resistance – its Case List 2025, which highlights the increasing persecution of writers based on their identity. This year’s report documents the alarming rise in censorship, imprisonment, and threats faced by writers due to their gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or religious beliefs. It underscores a disturbing global trend: those who dare express their identity or challenge dominant narratives are being silenced through legal threats, censorship, and violence. 

The submitting organisations welcome the opportunity to contribute to the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the Arab Republic of Egypt (“Egypt”).   This submission focuses on compliance with international human rights obligations with respect to freedom of expression, in particular concerns relating to:   

• Restrictions on freedom of expression and access to information 

• The treatment of writers and artists 

10 October 2024

PEN International and PEN Norway welcome the opportunity to contribute to the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Türkiye. This submission evaluates the implementation of recommendations made in the previous UPR and assesses the authorities of Türkiye’s compliance with international human rights obligations with respect to freedom of expression and linguistic rights, particularly concerning restrictions on Kurdish linguistic rights, and the treatment of Kurdish writers and journalists.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ADDRESSING THE DETERIORATING CLIMATE FOR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN NICARAGUA

27 August 2024: Freedom of expression in Nicaragua: UPR 4th Cycle.

Between 2019 and 2024, the State of Nicaragua and its officials have intensified and increased targeted aggressions against journalists, activists, artists, media, students, clergy, political opponents, etc. Acts such as arbitrary detentions, forced exile, withdrawal of citizenship, and stripping of property and basic rights are becoming commonplace. Since the last UPR cycle, legislation implemented in Nicaragua has led to a restriction of civic space and freedom of expression in the country. The State has refused to live up to prior commitments made in the UPR process and is failing to protect and guarantee these essential rights.

Read the summary here in English, and Spanish

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]]>Nicaragua: UPR Report on the Situation of Freedom of Expression in NicaraguaUPRPEN InternationalFri, 19 Jul 2024 11:09:10 +0000https://www.pen-international.org/research/joint-submission-to-the-upr-of-bosnia-and-herzegovina-by-pen-international-and-pen-bosnia-and-herzegovina628f9ae10b12c8255bd8814d:63e3ae92e5e3095ed0df535d:669a489c82e3834ba1849b9dFor consideration at the 48th Session of the Working Group in January 2025

15 July 2024

I. Executive summary 

1.      PEN International and PEN Bosnia and Herzegovina welcome the opportunity to contribute to the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). This submission evaluates the implementation of recommendations made in the previous UPR and assesses the Bosnian authorities’ compliance with international human rights obligations with respect to freedom of expression, particularly concerning:

§  Legislative restrictions on freedom of expression and association

§  Hate speech, disinformation, and propaganda

§  Safety of writers and journalists

§  Limitations on artistic expression

2.       During its third UPR in 2019, BiH accepted 204 recommendations out of 207, including some aimed at guaranteeing the rights to freedom of expression (eight recommendations) and association (three recommendations), ensuring the protection of journalists (13 recommendations) and combatting hate speech (nine recommendations). However, new laws adopted in the period under review severely curtail the rights to freedom of expression and association in BiH. The continued glorification of war criminals, revisionist narratives and hate speech by political leaders in Republika Srpska fueled a climate of growing anxiety, fear, and insecurity. The safety of writers and journalists remained a concern, with inefficient investigations into cases of threats and attacks. Many writers felt they have no choice but to self-censor.

II. Legislative restrictions on freedom of expression and association

3.      The right to freedom of expression in BiH is enshrined in Article II (Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms) of the Constitution. However, as highlighted in a 2022 Report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the safety of journalists and access to information in BiH, ‘violations of the right to freedom of expression and threats or use of violence, harassment and intimidation targeting journalists call for a comprehensive response to address structural and emerging issues affecting the independence of the media and the safety of journalists.’[i]

4.      In the period under review, authorities attempted to use laws to restrict expression under the guise of fighting COVID-19. In 2020, authorities in Republika Srpska adopted the Decision on Prohibition of Causing Panic and Riots During the State of Emergency on the Territory of the Republika Srpska at the initiative of the entity’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.[ii] It aimed to prevent criticism and debate, with penalties for media of up to € 5000 for publishing articles that ‘prevent or significantly hinder the implementation of decisions and measures of state bodies and organisations that exercise public authority.’ The measure was revoked shortly after being adopted following a public outcry. In May 2023, the Government of the Canton of Sarajevo drafted a Law on offences against public order and peace, which similarly foresaw punishment for those who ‘prevent or significantly hinder the implementation of decisions and measures of state bodies and organisations that exercise public authority.’[iii] The proposal, which sought to impose hefty fines for publishing ‘fake news’, faced strong criticism from journalists and media organisations and was subsequently withdrawn in June 2023. The authorities said they would reintroduce some version of the draft law in the future.

5.      New laws adopted in the period under review severely curtail the rights to freedom of expression and association in BiH. On 20 July 2023, the Republika Srpska National Assembly adopted amendments to the Republika Srpska Criminal Code reintroducing criminal penalties for defamation, despite a national and international outcry.[iv] While a draft amendment aimed at criminalising insult was eventually withdrawn, vaguely worded provisions punish defamation and other privacy-related offences with harsh fines of up 6,000 BAM (approximately € 3000), up to three times the average monthly salary. The law allows for subjective interpretation and poses a significant threat not only to those in Republika Srpska but to all writers, journalists, civil society actors and other citizens of BiH. Those unable to pay the fine may be subject to imprisonment. Anyone found guilty will have a criminal record, which could then impact the exercise of other fundamental rights and freedoms, including the right to work. In September 2023, Journalist Club Banja Luka filed a petition to formally challenge the law before the Republika Srpska Constitutional Court.

6.      Of additional and serious concern is a proposal by Milorad Dodik, President of the Republika Srpska entity, to introduce a Russia-inspired ‘foreign agents’ law (the Draft Law on Special Registry and Transparency of the Work of Non-Profit Organisations), which would further stifle civil society and independent media by requiring NGOs receiving funds from abroad and active in the Republika Srpska entity to register as ‘agents of foreign influence’, with heavy penalties for non-compliance. The UN,[v] the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR[vi], as well as the EU all warned against its adoption. The draft law was withdrawn in May 2024. Dodik stated the need for 'further harmonisation' with European standards but added that it would be reintroduced soon.

7.      The use of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) poses an increasing threat to independent media and to civil society actors in BiH. An analysis published in November 2023 by the Independent Journalists’ Association of Vojvodina (based in Serbia) showed that the main targets of SLAPPs are journalists and activists reporting on environmental issues, criminal activities, and corruption.[vii] The anti-SLAPP Recommendation of the Council of Europe Rec CM (2024)2, adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 5 April 2024, provides useful guidelines to help introduce anti-SLAPP provisions into the Bosnian legal framework.

III. Hate speech, disinformation, and propaganda

8.      For over 24 years, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia investigated genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, including summary mass executions of civilians, conflict-related sexual violence, and the destruction of cultural heritage, during the conflicts in the Balkans in the 1990s. Distortion of the past is a tool commonly used by political actors in the Western Balkans region for manipulation and propaganda purposes. In BiH, the situation is particularly concerning in Republika Srpska, where the authorities are pressing with secessionist narratives and actions, threatening peace and stability in the country and broader region.

9.      In April 2024, alarmed by growing tensions, PEN members from the former Yugoslavia issued a call for peace, endorsed by nearly 100 writers from the region. In May 2024, PEN International urged political leaders in Republika Srpska to end the glorification of war criminals, revisionist narratives and hate speech, in the lead up to a UN General Assembly vote on a draft resolution declaring 11 July ‘The International Day of Reflection and Remembrance of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica’. At the instigation of Dodik, a march against the UN resolution took place on 18 April, in Banja Luka, the main city in the Republika Srpska entity.[viii]

10.  PEN International and PEN Bosnia and Herzegovina have documented how media, writers, and journalists opposed to dominant, nationalistic narratives, who write about the 1990s based on facts, are routinely targeted in BiH by right-wing media, trolls and bots on social media, as well as politicians, their family members, and supporters. Independent writers and journalists are branded ‘traitors’ and ‘enemies’ – of their nation, of their country, of the faith of their community – to stir anger among radical groups and broader society, especially if such individuals are involved in activities of reconciliation and peacebuilding. The aim is to stigmatize them. Smear campaigns often result in direct threats and jeopardise their physical safety and mental health (see below, Safety of writers and journalists).[ix]

11.  Political manipulation, hate speech and disinformation campaigns are inter-connected and aimed at generating fear and uncertainty in society. Public service media also spread disinformation, as in the case in Republika Srpska. The fact-checking portal Raskrinkavanje labelled Radio Televizija Republike Srpske (RTRS – the public broadcaster in Republika Srpska) as a high-risk medium for publishing questionable content. It identified RTRS, together with the Republika Srpska public news agency ‘Srna’, as the single most prolific source of political disinformation in BiH.[x] The influence of Russian media was present long before the Russian Federation’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, mostly through the work of Sputnik news agency, which has an office in Serbia and whose articles are reproduced in the media in Republika Srpska without critical analysis.[xi]

12.  Most sections of the media in BiH are under direct and indirect forms of domestic political control, affecting published content and resulting in open support for specific political parties, a selective representation of political events, and unequal treatment of actors in the political sphere.

III. Safety of writers and journalists      

13.  The safety of writers and journalists in BiH remains a grave concern. The BiH Journalists’ Association documented an increase in attacks on journalists during the period under review, with over 70 cases recorded in 2023, of which fewer than 25% were investigated. Most of these attacks were not physical but involved verbal threats, harassment and intimidation. Those who are exposed to such threats live in constant fear that violence might escalate.[xii]

14.  Milorad Dodik – as well as other politicians – routinely harasses and smears outspoken journalists in public fora, contributing to an atmosphere of fear and impunity for verbal and physical attacks. In March 2023, shortly after Dodik criticised journalists who had opposed his proposal to re-criminalise defamation, calling them ‘freaks/spodobe’ the cars of two journalists in Banja Luka were damaged by unknown individuals.[xiii] Several rights activists and journalists were verbally and physically assaulted in Banja Luka that same month after the Republika Srpska police banned a Pride parade event over security concerns.[xiv]  The ban and attacks were preceded by homophobic comments as well as threats on social media and homophobic comments by Dodik. No arrests have been made at the time of writing.

15.         Harassment, intimidation, and smear campaigns often take place online and on social media platforms and are aimed at silencing not only journalists but other prominent individuals who are active in the public sphere in BiH. Smear campaigns online are conducted by anonymous trolls and frequently supported by public officials, who officially deny any responsibility or connection to persons and groups who attack journalists and prominent individuals online. Hate speech against journalists is reportedly on the rise, especially on social media platforms. These consisted mostly of anonymous messages, describing how they would be injured or killed, or most commonly insulting them with derogatory nicknames such as traitors, servants of foreign embassies, non-patriots, or destroyers of the state.

16.  Disinformation campaigns against writers and journalists are usually the first step in their public discreditation, followed by smear campaigns and targeting online. The main goal is to expose engaged individuals to a frenzy of public anger, mainly on social media, labelling them in an attempt to turn them into state enemies and thus create an ‘atmosphere of lynching’ in advance of any potential physical attacks against them. It is crucial to stress that cases of threats and violence are used not only to cause harm to such individuals, but also to send a message to all independent voices that they will experience the same if they dare oppose dominant narratives – in other words, to provoke self-censorship.

17.  Independent writers, journalists, and civil society activists are often harassed by tabloid media outlets and media that are mostly web portals, which do not have any kind of identification. Adopting laws on transparency of media ownership would help identify patterns that, according to previous research, involve interrelations between public officials, non-transparent media, and those economically powerful.

18.         Overall, distrust in the police and the justice system in BiH prevails, which dissuades writers and journalists from reporting attacks and threats. The judicial process in criminal and civil cases remains slow. Substantial case backlogs have had a deterrent effect in reporting crimes. When cases do reach courts, proceedings are systematically lengthy, and the charges against perpetrators minimal. Impunity persists, encouraging further threats and attacks. [xv]

19.  PEN International and PEN Bosnia and Herzegovina welcome efforts by the EU and OSCE to support prosecutor offices and police across BiH to appoint and establish focal points for attacks against journalists, and the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council to improve and systematize the registration of such attacks.[xvi]

IV. Limitations on artistic expression

20.  As documented by PEN International and PEN Bosnia and Herzegovina, writers in BiH operate in an increasingly toxic and suffocating atmosphere, with serious consequences for freedom of expression. Journalists who are reportedly close to certain political parties have become their mouthpiece. Those who do not want anyone to restrict their writings face numerous problems – existential, they work under pressure and are exposed to various verbal threats and insults.[xvii]

21.  Political leaders and public officials often contact media editors about the content they have published – sometimes through intermediaries, sometimes by calling personally – as they seek to directly interfere in editorial policies and encourage censorship. Hate speech and smear campaigns against writers and journalists typically start on social media platforms. Political leaders and public officials, their advisers and various public figures who are close to certain political parties are reported to be involved in such campaigns. Online harassment and threats are frequent and usually not investigated, leaving writers feeling deeply unsafe.

22.  Writers in BiH cannot make a living exclusively from writing books. They must take on other roles to make ends meet. Writers tend to work for several media outlets at one time. As many media outlets face financial problems, columnists are regularly underpaid. The lack of adequate monetary compensation for work, as well as the irregularity by which writers receive fees, mean that the impact of these threats is more pernicious and disproportionally impacts their ability to continue writing.

23.  Engaged writers are aware that their activities are visible to everyone, and that one vaguely worded sentence can trigger harassment, threats, and intimidation. Writers who focus on issues related to politics, wars, war crimes, corruption, social injustice and inequality, human rights, and minority rights, reported being exposed to media smears, online abuse, and insidious, persistent and vast lies and insinuations.

24.  Censorship is very pronounced in BiH. Media owners and editors often do not want to publish texts for fear they could generate problems. They mostly justify their position to writers and journalists with some benign explanations, arguing that readers would not be interested in such topics.

25.  All this strengthens self-censorship in BiH, which many writers told PEN International and PEN Bosnia and Herzegovina was most harmful to their work and greatly limit their freedom to write. Self-censorship further increased after authorities in Republika Srpska recriminalized defamation and initiated the draft law on ‘foreign agents.’

V. Recommendations

26.  PEN International and PEN Bosnia and Herzegovina urge the authorities of BiH to fully uphold the right to freedom of expression and to create an environment in which free public debate can thrive.

27.  In particular, PEN International and PEN Bosnia and Herzegovina call on the authorities of BiH to:

§  Immediately end the glorification of war criminals, revisionist narratives and use of hate speech, and the denial of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

§  Publicly, unequivocally, and systematically condemn all acts of violence and targeted attacks against writers, journalists, and activists.

§  Ensure impartial, prompt, thorough, independent, and effective investigations into all alleged attacks against writers and hold those responsible to account. Dedicate the resources necessary to investigate and prosecute attacks.

§  Strengthen national data collection, analysis, and reporting on attacks against writers and journalists.

§  Ensure that newly established mechanisms for journalists’ protection are effective in practice.

§  Bring laws, policies, and practices pertaining to freedom of expression and media freedom fully in line with their international obligations and commitments. Specifically:

o   Repeal amendments to the Republika Srpska Criminal Code reintroducing criminal penalties for defamation.

o   Refrain from reintroducing the draft ‘foreign agents’ law and any other similar legislation.

§  All attempts to regulate hate speech or other incitement to discrimination or violence must fully protect the right to freedom of expression and not be used to repress peaceful dissent.

§  Establish a Media Register with all the relevant media indicators to enhance transparency of media outlet ownership and ensure that those targeted have the necessary information for potential legal actions.

§  Recognise SLAPPs as a growing threat to freedom of expression and adopt anti-SLAPP legislation. 

[i] OHCHR, the safety of journalists and access to information in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2022, available at: https://bosniaherzegovina.un.org/sites/default/files/2022-09/Report%20-%20Safety%20of%20journalists%20and%20access%20to%20information%20in%20Bosnia%20and%20Herzegovina%20-%20ENG.pdf

[ii] RFE/RL, 12 April 2020, available at: https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/doktore-i-novinare-po-u%C5%A1ima-i-nov%C4%8Daniku/30546070.html

[iii] Skupština Kantona Sarajevo, available at: http://skupstina.ks.gov.ba/nacrt-zakona-o-prekrsajima-protiv-javnog-reda-i-mira-na-podrucju-kantona-sarajevo

[iv] PEN International, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Republika Srpska): Drop criminal defamation bill, 22 May 2023: https://www.pen-international.org/news/bosnia-and-herzegovina-republika-srpska-drop-criminal-defamation-bill ; Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Defamation Law Adopted By National Assembly Of Bosnia's Republika Srpska Despite Criticism From Rights Activists, 21 July 2023, available at: https://www.rferl.org/a/bosnia-srpska-defamation-law-criminalization-criticism/32512853.html

[v] See joint report by the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and

fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism; the Special Rapporteur on the rights to

freedom of peaceful assembly and of association and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of

human rights defenders, 27 October 2023, Ref.: OL BIH 3/2023

[vi] Bosnia and Herzegovina - Joint Opinion of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR on the draft law of Republika Srpska on the Special Registry and Publicity of the Work of Non-Profit Organizations, adopted by the Venice Commission at its 135th Plenary Session (Venice, 9-10 June 2023), available at: https://www.venice.coe.int/webforms/documents/?pdf=CDL-AD(2023)016-e

[vii] SLAPP ー Mechanism for silencing the public: Analysis of Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation in Serbia, BiH and Montenegro, available at: https://www.rcmediafreedom.eu/Resources/Reports-and-papers/SLAPP-Mechanism-for-silencing-the-public-Analysis-of-Strategic-Lawsuits-against-Public-Participation-in-Serbia-BiH-and-Montenegro

[viii] PEN International, Western Balkans: End dangerous rhetoric ahead of UN Srebrenica resolution vote, 17 May 2024, available at: https://www.pen-international.org/news/un-srebrenica-resolution-vote

[ix] PEN International, Toxic Narratives. Silencing Expression in the Western Balkans, 18 October 2023, available in Albanian, English, Bosnian, Montenegrin, Serbian at: https://www.pen-international.org/news/new-report-toxic-narratives-silencing-expression-in-the-western-balkans

[x] Cvijetićanin T., et al. (2019). Disinformation in the Online Sphere. The Case of BiH. Sarajevo: Association of Citizens ‘Why not’’.

[xi] EU vs Disinfo, How Serbian Sputnik infiltrated a disinformation HUB IN Bosnia and Herzegovina, 14 June 2019, available at: https://euvsdisinfo.eu/how-serbian-sputnik-infiltrated-a-disinformation-hub-in-bosnia-and-herzegovina/

[xii] Amnesty International, 2023 annual report, available at: https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/europe-and-central-asia/western-central-and-south-eastern-europe/bosnia-and-herzegovina/report-bosnia-and-herzegovina/

[xiii] Mediacentar, 9 March 2023, available at: https://media.ba/bs/vijesti-i-dogadaji-vijesti/osteceni-automobili-novinara-morace-i-trifunovica

[xiv] AP News, Bosnia: rights activists assaulted following LGBT event ban, 19 March 2023, available at: https://apnews.com/article/bosnia-serb-lgbt-assault-2bd5a4836f047fe88ff039ee2f190af7

[xv] OHCHR, the safety of journalists and access to information in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2022, available at: https://bosniaherzegovina.un.org/sites/default/files/2022-09/Report%20-%20Safety%20of%20journalists%20and%20access%20to%20information%20in%20Bosnia%20and%20Herzegovina%20-%20ENG.pdf;

[xvi] Portal pravosuđa Bosne i Hercegovine: https://pravosudje.ba/vstvfo/E/10001/kategorije-vijesti/122916

[xvii] PEN International’s report, Toxic Narratives. Silencing Expression in the Western Balkans, published on 18 October 2023, is based on desk research and interviews with 20 writers in the Western Balkans. The empirical part of the report, based on interviews, uses key interlocutors as witnesses of events and trends in the environment in which they work, and relies on their experiences and observations.

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]]>Joint submission to the Universal Periodic Review of Bosnia and Herzegovina by PEN International and PEN Bosnia and HerzegovinaCase List2023PEN InternationalMon, 11 Mar 2024 15:21:13 +0000https://www.pen-international.org/research/war-censorship-persecution-case-list-2023628f9ae10b12c8255bd8814d:63e3ae92e5e3095ed0df535d:65e5ae1d76c9db47607a977f

“The role that writers can play in times of uncertainty, diligently curating narratives to nourish empathy, encompassing glimpses of joy and ultimately offering the gift of hope, lacks formal recognition, and this lack of acknowledgement or coherent protections can ultimately decimate expression and propel rampant self-censorship.” Ma Thida, Chair of PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee

21 March 2024: On World Poetry Day, PEN International releases War, Censorship, and Persecution: PEN International Case List 2023/2024, highlighting challenges for writers in global conflicts and emphasizing the need to safeguard freedom of expression, especially in war-torn regions.

War, Censorship, and Persecution documents 122 cases of writers facing harassment, arrest, violence and even death worldwide. These include 26 people imprisoned, 23 detained, 22 harassed, 14 on trial, 8 killed, and 6 facing judicial harassment and death threats, among others. The breakdown by region shows Africa with 14 cases, the Americas with 36, Asia/Pacific with 24, Europe and Central Asia with 32, and the Middle East and North Africa with 16.

PEN International, in collaboration with PEN Bosnia and Herzegovina, PEN Kosovo, the Montenegrin PEN Centre, and Serbian PEN, is proud to launch a report that sheds light on the myriad of challenges faced by independent writers and journalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia. Titled Toxic Narratives: Silencing Expression in the Western Balkans, this pivotal report marks a crucial milestone in the fight for freedom of expression, opinion, and access to information in the Western Balkans region.

Read the executive summary.

Report on the Situation of Freedom of Expression and Artistic Freedom in Cuba

This report is a contribution submitted by a coalition of organizations represented by PEN International. It was written and edited by Artists At Risk Connection (ARC) - PEN America, ARTICLE 19 Office for Mexico and Central America, Centro para la Apertura y el Desarrollo de América Latina - CADAL, Civil Rights Defenders, Instituto de Artivismo Hannah Arendt - INSTAR, Movimiento San Isidro, Cubalex, Justicia 11J, Instituto Cubano por la Libertad de Expresión y Prensa - ICLEP, FREEMUSE, and PEN International.

Two years after the historic July 11 peaceful demonstrations in Cuba (also known as 11J), the island’s artistic and cultural landscape has been drastically undermined, following a swift government crackdown on dissent which resulted in the detention of nearly 60 writers and artists. Of them, at least 13 remain behind bars, while 13 others were forced into exile. In a new report on the second anniversary, PEN International, PEN America’s Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) and Cubalex, profile 17 exiled cultural professionals —demonstrating their resilience— while documenting the repressive and sometimes violent tactics by the Cuban state that forced them to flee.

Método Cuba: Independent Artists’ Testimonies Of Forced Exile, details the forms of repression employed by the Cuban state to silence and force dissident writers and artists out of the country. The report centers their lived experiences in the broader discussion on art, culture, and human rights, underscoring the shared forms of repression faced due to their creative expression. The publication also spotlights the journey that led them to leave the island and the challenges they currently face in exile.

The report calls for the immediate release of all political prisoners, including all writers and artists who are jailed for peacefully expressing their ideas and creative work. It also urges the governments of Latin America and the human rights community to investigate allegations of human rights violations against artists, writers, cultural workers, and activists in Cuba as it relates to restrictions on freedom of artistic expression, arbitrary detentions, and patterns of forced exile.

PEN International launches Impunity Reigns – Writers Resist, its 2022 Case List which documents 115 cases of writers facing harassment, arrest, violence and even death, worldwide.

‘The writers featured in this report have put their lives on the frontline and made enormous sacrifices – risking their safety and liberty – to hold the powerful to account. They have inspired us to keep fighting to safeguard the right to freedom of expression. They have dared us to visualize a different world, a better one. They have empowered us and new generations of writers and readers, as we reflect on the past 101 years of our work, to protect writers globally and consider how our voices and actions have the power to shape a future where human rights are a reality for all’. Ma Thida, Chair of PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee.

Read the executive summary.

PEN | Vida | Count UNESCO

Women Seizing the Word

The Participation of Women Writers in Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua

11 April: PEN International, the worldwide association of writers, together with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, (UNESCO) and VIDA: Women in Literary Arts, are pleased to present this report whose goal is to show the reality of women writers and journalists in Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua, as an initial phase of a project that aims to include the rest of the region and the Caribbean.