International PEN

International PEN, the worldwide association of writers, was founded in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere; to emphasise the role of literature in the development of mutual understanding and world culture; to fight for freedom of expression; and to act as a powerful voice on behalf of writers harassed, imprisoned and sometimes killed for their views. It is the world?s oldest human rights organization and the oldest international literary organization. PEN originally stood for "Poets, Playwrights, Essayists and Novelists," but now includes writers of any form of literature, such as journalists and historians.

Writers in Prison Committee

International PEN's Writers in Prison Committee works on behalf of persecuted writers worldwide. Established in 1960 in response to increasing attempts to silence voices of dissent by imprisoning writers, the Writers in Prison Committee monitors the cases of over 900 writers who have been imprisoned, tortured, threatened, attacked, disappeared and killed for the peaceful practice of their profession. It publishes a bi-annual Case List documenting free expression violations around the world http://pen.org/media/CasepdfJune05.pdf.

Related Topics:
Writers in Prison Committee - Writers - Dissent - Imprisoned - Tortured - Disappeared

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The Committee also coordinates the International PEN membership's campaign towards an end to these attacks and an end to the suppression of freedom of expression world wide.

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International PEN's Writers in Prison Committee is a member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange, a global network of non-governmental organisations that monitors censorship worldwide and campaigns to defend journalists, writers, Internet users and others who are persecuted for exercising their right to freedom of expression.

Related Topics:
International Freedom of Expression Exchange - Non-governmental organisations - Censorship - Journalists - Internet

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It is also a member of the Tunisia Monitoring Group, a coalition of 14 free expression organisations that is lobbying the Tunisian government to improve its human rights record in the lead-up to the November 2005 World Summit on the Information Society.

Related Topics:
Tunisia Monitoring Group - World Summit on the Information Society

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