PEN Bangladesh

31/12/2025

Happy New Year 2026!

02/12/2025

PEN Bangladesh expresses its deepest condolences on the passing of Hege Newth, former Secretary General of Norsk PEN (PEN Norway). She was an exceptionally warm and compassionate individual, and her unwavering commitment to social justice continues to inspire us all.

15/11/2025

Free Them All: Day of the Imprisoned Writer 2025!

“Across the world, writers continue to pay a heavy price for speaking truth. Rory Branker, Yalqun Rozi, Mohamed Tadjadit, and Mzia Amaglobeli remind us that words can shake the powerful — and that courage endures even when their freedom is taken away. Their persecution is a wound to justice and ...

30/10/2025

Dear Members,
PEN Bangladesh

I hope you're safe and well.

I am happy to let you know that the Executive Committee of PEN Bangladesh has decided to hold a memorial for the recent passing of educator, writer, and past President of PEN Bangladesh, Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam, on 22nd November 2025 in Dhaka.

To accompany this national event, PEN Bangladesh will publish a volume capturing the life, work, and spirit of Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam.

We warmly invite you to contribute your write-up on Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam or on his works by 09 November 2025 via email.

Kindly note that the Publication Committee reserves the right to review, edit, and finalize the selected submissions for publication within the stipulated deadline.

Thank you for your valuable time and contribution.

Warm regards,

Zahid Shohag
Office Secretary
PEN Bangladesh

17/10/2025

China: PEN International and PEN Centres worldwide renew call for the release of Gui Minhai, the imprisoned poet, bookseller and PEN member
StatementChina2025,17 Oct

‘ The abduction of poet, bookseller and PEN member Gui Minhai ten years ago was an alarming escalation of the Chinese government’s resolve to silence criticism and extend its repressive state apparatus beyond its borders. Today, we continue to stand in solidarity with Gui Minhai and demand his i...

27/09/2025

Solidarity to MAKSIM ZNAK!
Lawyer, academic, and writer Maksim Znak was held incommunicado, serving a 10-year sentence in a medium-security penal colony imposed on spurious national security grounds. Znak was the electoral campaign lawyer of opposition presidential candidates Viktar Babaryka and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, and a member of the Coordination Council for the Transfer of Power, which called for the resignation of President Lukašenka following the disputed presidential election held in August 2020.

Maksim Znak was arrested by members of the main investigative department of the Investigative Committee of Belarus at Viktar Babaryka’s election headquarters on 9 September 2020, and placed in pre-trial detention. He was subsequently charged with ‘inciting actions aimed at harming the national security of the Republic of Belarus’, ‘conspiring to seize power by unconstitutional means’ and ‘creating an extremist formation’, and tried alongside Maryia Kalesnikava, who headed Viktar Babaryka’s campaign team. Their trial opened in Minsk on 4 August 2021 behind closed doors. They were both found guilty on 6 September 2021, with Znak receiving a 10-year sentence, and Kalesnikava 11 years in prison. In May 2022, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention called for his immediate and unconditional release. Znak was last seen by his lawyer in February 2023 (see Case List 2023/2024).

Maksim Znak, born on 4 September 1981, is a lawyer, professor at the Law Faculty of the Belarusian State University, poet, and lyricist. While detained, Znak wrote Зекамерон (The Zekameron: One hundred tales from behind bars and eyelashes, Vremja, Moscow, 2022), in which he poignantly details his new everyday life.

24/09/2025

PEN International 91st Congress:
Freedom of Words
Words of the Free

Discover PEN International, a leading writers' association championing freedom of expression and literary advocacy worldwide. PEN International unites writers globally to promote literature and defend freedom of expression. Join us in our mission to support persecuted writers and celebrate linguisti