Watch: Day of the Imprisoned Writer event

This online event took place on the evening of Monday 15th November, and was led by the Scottish PEN Writers at Risk group. Featuring readings from PEN members and guests including Rebecca Vincent (RSF) and Cat Lucas (English PEN), the event highlighted the cases of:

• Maria Ressa
• Nedim Turfent
• Daphne Caruana Galizia
• Varavara Rao
• Ahmet Altan

Watch the video below to learn more about the threats faced by these writers and their colleagues, and other writers around the world, while having the opportunity to hear readings of their work, and responses to their work.

Related resources

We’d like to take this opportunity to share with you once more links to some of the information and campaigns we discussed during the event. We’d be all the more grateful if you were able to take one small step to participate in any of these campaigns, and we know from experience how grateful the writers in question and their supporters would be for your assistance.

Maria Ressa discusses the future of freedom of expression in association with English PEN, Arts Council England and Bristol Ideas

 English PEN’s PEN Writes campaign: Amanuel Asrat

English PEN’s PEN Writes campaign: Nedim Türfent

 Joint statement on Malta: Remembering Daphne Caruana Galizia, signed by PEN International, RSF, Scottish PEN and others

Take Action: Justice for Anna Politkovskaya (PEN International)

Joint statement and call for action: Freedom for Varavara Rao (Scottish PEN, Irish PEN, PEN International, English PEN and PEN Delhi)

 James Robertson’s letter of solidarity to Ahmet Altan for Scottish PEN

PEN International’s Day of the Imprisoned Writer Campaign for 2021

Take Action: Raif Badawi (PEN International)

Report: Ashraf Fayadh (PEN International)

PEN America’s Freedom to Write Index for 2020