PEN International partners with INDEX to support writers carrying Victoria Amelina’s legacy

10 September 2026: PEN International is proud to partner with INDEX: Institute for Documentation and Exchange in supporting the Victoria Amelina Fellowship Programme, which honours Amelina’s extraordinary legacy as a writer, human rights defender and war crimes investigator. By supporting writers documenting the realities, causes and consequences of the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine, the Fellowship carries forward Amelina’s commitment to truth, memory and justice.

PEN International is honoured to contribute to this important programme, including through the participation of PEN International Vice-President Carles Torner on the International Selection Committee. We look forward to supporting the Fellows and helping sustain the international community of writers and researchers that Victoria Amelina worked so passionately to build.

“Some partnerships feel especially important because of the person at their heart. Victoria Amelina left us far too soon, but she also left behind an extraordinary community of people who believe, as she did, in the power of writers to make sense of difficult truths. We are honoured to stand alongside INDEX Ukraine in carrying forward Victoria Amelina’s legacy—one that continues to inspire writers and deepen our understanding of the brutal realities of war.” Romana Cacchioli, Executive Director, PEN International

We remember Amelina, a member of PEN Ukraine and a dedicated war crimes investigator, who died on 1 July 2023 from injuries sustained in a Russian missile strike in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, on 27 June 2023. She was travelling to areas liberated from Russian occupation, recording the testimonies of witnesses and survivors, and working on a book about her experiences. War and Justice Diary: Looking at Women Looking at War was published posthumously in February 2025. Deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure amount to war crimes. We continue to call for justice and accountability for Amelina’s killing and for all those affected by the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine.

Note to Editors

• For further information please contact Aurélia Dondo, Head of Europe and Central Asia Region: [email protected]

• For media queries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, Head of Communications and Campaigns, PEN International: [email protected]‍