by PenSydney | Aug 2, 2026 | News
On July 9 prominent Ethiopian-American novelist Dinaw Mengetsu resigned his position as president of PEN America after the organisation published a piece reaffirming its opposition to participation in, or advocacy for, cultural and academic boycotts. PEN America’s...
by PenSydney | Mar 30, 2026 | News
PEN Sydney condemns the war in The Middle East and stands with political prisoners, writers and journalists impacted by the war. The US/Israel-Iran war has entered a new and extremely dangerous stage. At the time of writing, Iran has struck targets in Saudi Arabia,...
by PenSydney | Mar 8, 2026 | News
Criminal defamation charges against Australian writer and journalist Murray Hunter have been settled without penalty or cost. On 17 November 2025, Hunter was indicted in Thailand after Malaysia’s Communications and Multimedia Commission brought defamation charges...
by PenSydney | Mar 8, 2026 | News
On February 9, writer and publisher Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty under Hong Kong’s 2020 National Security Law (NSL). Prior to sentencing, Jimmy Lai had spent years in solitary confinement under cruel and degrading conditions....
by PenSydney | Feb 8, 2026 | News
PEN Sydney joins PEN America in condemning the detention of Iranian poet Ali Asadollahi. His arrest comes in the context of mass civil protests in Iran. PEN America and PEN Sydney are gravely concerned for the safety of writers, as well as journalists, scholars,...
by PenSydney | Feb 2, 2026 | News
This conversation was originally published in 2020. It was organised by PEN Sydney, on behalf of the Australian PEN Centres in Melbourne and Perth. The discussion is between PEN Sydney president, Mark Isaacs, and three members of the Iranian Writers’ Association (IWA)...
