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The Independent Chinese PEN Centre (ICPC), in partnership with PEN International, invites you to a special conference, “Chinese Prisons and International War,” held on 14 November 2025 in London.
This event forms part of PEN International’s Day of the Imprisoned Writer Campaign (15 November–10 December 2025), a global initiative to honour writers and journalists who face persecution for their words.
Through panels, testimonies, and special presentations, the conference will explore the impact of authoritarianism, surveillance, and conflict on freedom of expression, focusing on writers and human rights defenders imprisoned for their work.
“Chinese Prisons and International War” Conference
PEN International publishes its new report, Critical Junctures: Safeguarding the Freedom to Create in Poland, documenting the challenges to freedom of expression and cultural rights in the country between 2015 and 2025 while recognising the resilience of writers, journalists and civil society under mounting political pressure, and offering clear recommendations for reform.
Critical Junctures: Safeguarding the Freedom to Create in Poland
Unbound Voices: Samira Mohyeddin in Conversation with PEN International
Award-winning journalist and broadcaster Samira Mohyeddin sits down with writers and delegates at PEN International’s 91st Congress to explore today’s most urgent issues – from book bans and climate justice to LGBTQ+ rights, women’s voices, Indigenous perspectives, and much more.
In these powerful conversations, Mohyeddin brings PEN International’s mission to life: defending freedom of expression and celebrating the transformative power of literature across borders.
Identity on Trial: Persecution and Resistance
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.
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Freedom of expression is deteriorating worldwide giving way to a rise in hate speech and oppressive legislation which threatens the lives and wellbeing of all kinds of writers, inc. poets, novelists, and journalists, as well as publishers. Meanwhile, writers, particularly women and those from marginalised communities, still need equal access and representation within the literary and civic spaces.
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We believe in everyone’s freedom to write and read, wherever they are in the world. Founded in 1921, today PEN International is recognised as the world’s foremost association of writers, as well as a leading international charity and expert on freedom of expression.