International Free Expression Project

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International Free Expression Project

In search of a world in which all people can be who they are, say what they want, and be heard.

The International Free Expression Project is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to building public support for free expression. IFEP encourages everyone to express themselves freely and to protect everyone else's right to do so. IFEP leverages its own initiatives and those of allied institutions and individuals in high-profile ways that move people to action.

05/30/2025

At IFEP, freedom is… courage to speak up, hope for a better tomorrow, truth in every action, choice to be who we are, justice for all, and power in our voices.

As May ends, let these words remind us that freedom is more than just a right—it’s something we must protect and uphold every day. Let’s continue pushing for the freedom to express, create, and stand for what’s right.

05/27/2025

Since 2021, PEN America has documented nearly 16,000 book bans in public schools across the U.S., a number not seen since the Red Scare McCarthy era of the 1950s.

The targets? Books by or about people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and stories that explore sexuality, violence, or trauma, especially those intended for older teen readers.

Among the most banned books:
— Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
— Looking for Alaska by John Green
— The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
— The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

These are not just stories, they’re opportunities for empathy, education, and critical thinking. When we ban books, we erase voices and limit understanding. Freedom to read is freedom to think. Stand with authors, educators, librarians, and students. Defend the right to read.

Learn more at pen.org/banned-books-list-2025

05/16/2025

Change starts with courage. When we face what’s uncomfortable and speak what’s true, we open the door to real transformation.

Silence protects the status quo; our voices challenge it.

05/14/2025

Today’s is Bellingcat, a nonprofit pioneering investigative journalism through open-source intelligence (OSINT) and digital forensics.

Based in the UK, Bellingcat has revolutionized the way we uncover global stories, from conflict zones to corruption. By using publicly available data like satellite imagery and social media posts, Bellingcat exposes hidden truths and holds power accountable, all while championing transparency and justice.

Follow their groundbreaking work at and support their mission to make investigative journalism more accessible and impactful for all. 📰

05/09/2025

From protests to political unrest, governments are increasingly using internet shutdowns as a tool to suppress speech, hide human rights violations, and block access to information.

According to Access Now’s 2023 Report, there were at least 283 shutdowns in 39 countries last year. Each one cut off communities from the world and silenced critical voices.

These shutdowns often happen during moments of crisis, when people need information the most. They interrupt access to emergency services, restrict press coverage, and prevent activists from organizing or speaking out.

The right to connect, share, and be informed is essential to free expression. When the internet goes dark, so does transparency.

05/07/2025

Last week, the Trump administration canceled hundreds of National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grants, pulling essential funding from theaters, community art spaces, and nonprofits across the country with little warning. This isn’t just a line item in a budget, it’s a deliberate move to defund creativity, silence voices, and dismantle one of the few national institutions that invests in public art for everyone. The NEA’s priorities have shifted to align with Trump’s political agenda, leaving countless community arts programs behind.

This isn’t just about lost funding. It’s a warning.

When we defund the arts, we unravel the thread that connects communities, stifling the voices that help us see, feel, and understand one another.

But we know the truth: art matters. Artists reflect who we are, challenge what we accept, and imagine what we could become. The NEA isn’t just a grant maker it’s a reflection of our shared values and a commitment to cultural access for all.

Call your representatives. Share what’s at stake. Stand with your local arts organizations. Because if we stay silent, we don’t just lose funding, we lost part of our collective voice.

05/03/2025

On Day, we honor the journalists who risk everything to uncover truth, challenge power, and give voice to the unheard.

A free press isn’t a luxury. It’s a lifeline to truth, accountability, and human rights. When journalists are censored, attacked, or silenced, the voices of entire communities are pushed into the shadows.

📢 Today and every day, we must defend the right to report freely and protect those who dare to speak truth to power.

04/30/2025

Audre Lorde — a Black, q***r poet, writer, and activist — once said, “Your silence will not protect you.”

As we close out April, her words remind us that staying quiet in the face of injustice does not keep us safe. It only allows harmful systems to grow stronger.

Lorde dedicated her life to confronting oppression in all its forms. Her legacy calls on us to speak out, show up, and stand firm in our truth.

Let’s move into May louder, braver, and more committed to defending the right to speak, create, and be heard.

04/29/2025

On April 18, Peru enacted a controversial law expanding government control over civil society organizations, raising serious concerns from Amnesty International and human rights groups. Though framed as a transparency measure, the law opens the door to censorship, political retaliation, and the silencing of critical voices.

This law allows the government to arbitrarily monitor NGOs, penalize dissent, and restrict access to justice for victims of human rights abuses. When civil society is threatened, so is the ability to expose injustice and advocate for the vulnerable.

Protecting civic space and defending the right to free expression and association is more important than ever. A healthy democracy depends on it.

🔗 Visit Amnesty.org to read the full story.

04/22/2025

Freedom of expression is in crisis for more than half the global population. This alarming trend marks the 14th consecutive year of global decline, as more governments crack down on independent voices, control information, and silence dissent—both online and off.

We must never take our voices for granted. True freedom of expression is more than just the right to speak. It’s the right to be heard, to be seen, and to be safe.

04/21/2025

Books bans are not random.

It’s the books that have always fought for space on the shelf. Books by authors of color, LGBTQ+ authors, women, and stories that explore race, gender, sexuality, and history are being silenced.
This isn’t just about books. It’s about whose stories get told, and whose voices are erased.

We must keep fighting for the freedom to read, to write, and to exist on the page.

04/18/2025

This month’s Artist Spotlight shines on the incredible Jamie Earnest! 🎨

Raised in rural Alabama, Jamie is known for her paintings that explore the dualities of what is seen and unseen, playing with tensions of allusion and illusion. She draws on memories and idiosyncrasies from her Southern upbringing, employing symbols to reconstruct domestic spaces that explore modes of collective memory in the American South. While certain paintings depict intimate interior settings, others obscure the viewer’s perception. Earnest is interested in challenging the viewer’s position as an onlooker or subject in the scene. Lurking shadows and silhouettes of hands that enter the frame further complicate subjectivity, evoking a dissonance and uncanniness that is typical of the artist’s practice.

Back in 2016, before the Press Building was stripped of its presses, IFEP invited artists to step inside and create works inspired by the historic space. We were honored to have Jamie Earnest among that group of artists—and to witness the beautiful paintings she created in response.

Nearly a decade later, we continue to be inspired by her work and the way she captures memory, space, and Southern identity with such depth and vision.

Earnest completed her BFA at Carnegie Mellon University and currently resides in Pittsburgh, PA. Her exhibitions include the recent ‘Nearing Each Other’ at the Carnegie Museum of Art and the upcoming solo exhibition ‘A Brief Moment in the Sun’ at Penn State’s HUB-Robeson Galleries, on view from June 20–October 7, 2025.

Follow to stay updated on her work. 🌟

Address

Pittsburgh, PA
15211

Website

http://ifep.io/

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