Arrest of Deniz Göktaş in Turkey: Satire Is Not a Crime
PEN Berlin protests the arrest of Turkish comedian Deniz Göktaş. (…) In the coming days, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is expected to travel to Ankara for the NATO summit. Referring to the planned visit, Deniz Yücel said: “U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that he will attend the summit in person only as a favour to Erdoğan. We would very much welcome it if the German Chancellor were to cancel his personal participation because of this prison sentence alone. We do not expect that to happen. Perhaps the Chancellor – who has no objection to criminal consequences in Germany for remarks directed at him such as ‘Lying Fritz’ or ‘Pinocchio’ – will use the opportunity to exchange views with Trump and Erdoğan on how to suppress criticism and satire directed at those in power.” MORE
New in »manuskripte«: Marko Vidojković
»Better an urban legend than a People’s Chancellor«: Serbian writer and PEN Berlin fellow Marko Vidojković presents an excerpt from his novel Claws (Kandže) in the new issue of the Graz-based literary magazine manuskripte. The German translation was done by Elvira Veselinović. For many years, Vidojković has been one of the most prominent opposition voices in contemporary Serbian literature. His novels and columns address authoritarianism, nationalism, corruption and political violence. Due to severe threats, he is currently living in exile and is supported by PEN Berlin. Founded in Graz in 1960, manuskripte is considered one of the most important German-language literary magazines of the present day. The current dossier is already the third collaboration between PEN Berlin and manuskripte. MORE
Disinvitation of Arne Semsrott: AfD Cultural Policy Driven by Fear of the AfD
PEN Berlin protests the disinvitation of Arne Semsrott, author and head of the platform FragDenStaat, from a planned reading at the Magdeburg City Library. »This is an act of cowardice,« says PEN Berlin spokesperson Deniz Yücel. »The political responsibility lies with Mayor Simone Borris. It is her duty to defend the autonomy of culture against pressure from anyone whatsoever.« Just as we protested the disinvitation of our founding member Michel Friedman in Klütz and the disinvitation of bookseller Susanne Dagen in Landau, we now oppose the disinvitation of Arne Semsrott. MORE
PEN Berlin is growing: new members: Christian Baron, Barbara Bleisch, and Oliver Reese
The PEN Berlin writers’ association held an extraordinary general Assembly on Sunday, 26 April 2026, and admitted 26 new members. Among those elected are the Islamic studies scholar Katajun Amirpur, the writer Christian Baron, the philosopher Barbara Bleisch, the journalist Kai Diekmann, the author and psychologist Stephan Grünewald, poetry slammer Aidin Halimi, sociologist Nils Kumkar, writer Lana Lux, political scientist Philip Manow, poet and psycho-oncologist Sudabeh Mohafez, writer Veronika Peters, artistic director of the Berliner Ensemble Oliver Reese, and writer Uwe Wittstock. MORE
Heimat series: Special edition in Thuringia, Brandenburg, and Saxony
»Is this still | already my country?« PEN Berlin will be asking this question on 29 April in Greiz, on 30 April in Neuruppin, and on 5 May in Görlitz. This follows 41 events featuring 122 participants under the same title in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate earlier this year, and precedes a similarly extensive series in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin in August and September. We are now stopping in the three eastern German states, where we organised the highly acclaimed series of talks »You Can’t Say Anything These Days« in the summer of 2024. MORE
Literature: For the Freedom of Criticism and Reply
Press release on the attacks against Denis Scheck: When authors challenge the verdicts and judgments of literary criticism, this is entirely within their rights. »There is, however, a vast difference between participating in a debate—also a debate about literary criticism and sexism—on the basis of the stronger argument, and demanding that the ‘bad man’ finally be shown the door,« said PEN Berlin spokesperson Deniz Yücel. »We therefore very much hope that those responsible at ARD will withstand the pressure currently being exerted on them, rather than cancelling Druckfrisch over the present controversy—possibly after a brief grace period so that it attracts less attention.«« MORE
Evening with Boualem Sansal in Leipzig: The Courage to tell the Truth
Börsenblatt, report by Jona Jeska, 26 March 2026: »In his opening remarks, Börsenverein chair Sebastian Guggolz made clear what the evening was about: ›We are talking about having the courage to tell the truth (…).‹ Sansal expressed a surprisingly critical view of the instrument of pardon: ›I reject the pardon – Whilst in prison, I wrote to the President of the Republic, Tebboune: if I hear that I am to be pardoned, I reject it. I want a proper trial with proper judges and international observers. (…)‹. In the subsequent panel discussion, the concept of truth was explored from different perspectives. (…) Thea Dorn emphasized that a distinction must be made between verifiable statements and context-dependent interpretations.« LINK
Thea Dorn on DLF Kultur: »A curious shift in image«
DLF Kultur, Der Tag, interview by Korbinian Frenzel with Thea Dorn, 25 March 2026: »Until a few years ago, anyone with a reasonable degree of integrity – indeed, one might say anyone on the left – was convinced that this authority was a dysfunctional, if not outright dangerous institution. (…) And then there was this curious shift in image: suddenly, the whole country – or not the whole country, but all those who consider the AfD a threat – was waiting for us to get rid of it with the help of the domestic intelligence service. (…) I am among those who believe that a non-party-affiliated Minister of State for Culture, acting on behalf of a CDU-led government, does not have to seamlessly continue the policies of his predecessor. The point is: cultural policy cannot be made in a rush. (…) Wolfram Weimar simply did not find these three bookshops politically convenient. And then he hides behind the domestic intelligence service.« LINK and AUDIO [EXCERPT]
Thea Dorn with Boualem Sansal and others: »A free person must also be free in legal terms«
radio3, Radio 3 in the Morning, conversation by Massimo Maio with Natascha Freundel, 20 March 2026: »Yesterday evening at the Leipzig Book Fair, there was a special appearance by the French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who spoke publicly for the first time after being released from Algerian detention. (…) It was a full panel discussion: the Russian historian Irina Scherbakowa, the Iran expert Katajun Amirpur, and the writer and PEN Berlin spokesperson Thea Dorn were also present. (…) [Sansal] wants, and he emphasized this in Leipzig, a fair trial. He wants to be acquitted, not pardoned. That a free person should also be free in legal terms. (…) Thea Dorn also argued against the opinion, repeatedly voiced in Germany as well, that in Germany, in a democracy, one cannot freely express one’s opinion.« LINK
Press release: Nazi stuff sacred, AI advises the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution?
PEN Berlin is shocked by the investigation against journalist Jan Fleischhauer. (…) ‘The purpose of Section 86a cannot be to sanctify Nazi slogans,’ said PEN Berlin spokesperson Deniz Yücel. »(…) The investigating authorities are acting as if their motto were: »Nazi stuff is sacred, you don’t joke about the Führer.« In this context, a question surrounding the German Bookshop Prize is not so far-fetched: Could it be that the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution concluded from these event titles that it was dealing with a right-wing extremist bookshop? Did AI used by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution even come to this conclusion? ‘Has the reading weakness much lamented among German schoolchildren now also reached the judiciary and the Office for the Protection of the Constitution?’ said PEN Berlin spokesperson Thea Dorn. MORE
»Goethe im Exil«/Book Shop Award: A few questions about German cultural policy
The programme »Goethe-Institut im Exil« has been suspended with immediate effect. The Minister of State for Culture, Wolfram Weimer, has excluded three left-wing bookshops from the Bookshop Award. We have a few questions about both of these developments. (…) Is it a coincidence that this decision was made on the eve of a planned reading and discussion with Palestinian poets at the ACUD art centre in Berlin? (…) Does the Minister of State for Culture consider the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution to be competent in evaluating the work of cultural institutions? (…) Is the Minister of State for Culture allowing his decisions to be influenced by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, or by reporting centres such as Nius, which launched a campaign against left-wing book publishers in autumn? MORE
Press release: Do not deliberately destroy the Berlinale!
As our founding member Daniel Kehlmann said: »If Tricia Tuttle were to be dismissed because of things that award winners said and did on stage, it would be the greatest catastrophe in German cultural policy since Heinrich Böll’s home was searched in 1972.« We are certain that the Berlinale would suffer immense damage as an internationally relevant festival. MORE
Series of talks about Heimat in Rhineland-Palatinate: »Is this still | already my country?«
On 27 February, PEN Berlin spokesperson Deniz Yücel and former Federal Minister for Family Affairs Kristina Schröder will discuss the topic »Is this still | already my country?« in Ludwigshafen am Rhein, engaging in a dialogue with each other and the audience. This event will be followed by a further 18 stops across the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Guests include former Minister Presidents Malu Dreyer and Kurt Beck; former Federal Minister of Transport, Volker Wissing; Büchner Prize winner, Ursula Krechel; and writers Christian Baron, Daniela Dröscher, Lucy Fricke, Dinçer Güçyeter, and Tijan Sila. They will be joined by journalists Jürgen Kaube and Harald Martenstein; football commentator Marcel Reif; publicist Hamed Abdel-Samad; winemaker and former wine queen Lena Endesfelder; and university professors Nils Kumkar, Andreas Rödder, Claudia Ritzi, and Harald Welzer. MORE
Mannheimer Morgen, report by Stefan M. Dettlinger, 27 January 2026. »PEN Berlin’s discussion series on the topic of Heimat opened in an entertaining way on Monday evening at the Altes Kino Franklin in Mannheim . Aron Boks, one of the moderators of the event, opened the evening in a participatory manner with simple questions to the audience that oscillated between bitter seriousness and a wink of irony. (…) Dorn recalled the philosopher Bernhard Waldenfels, in whose theory the homeworld and the alienworld played an important role. (…) NTM artistic director Christian Holtzhauer can count the event as a success. The audience actively participated, which should give Michel Friedman hope. For at the end moderator Siller, taking up Friedman’s warnings, appealed: ›Let us remain vigilant, let us become active!‹« LINK [€]
Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung, interview by Alexander Wenisch with Ijoma Mangold, 26 January 2026. »I was born and raised in Heidelberg. Heidelberg stands for my childhood and youth. As long as one lives as a child in the world in which one grows up, one does not yet really have a sense of Heimat – it is simply self-evident. Like water for the fish: it does not think about it, because it cannot imagine life outside the water. Only when one leaves this original biotope and moves away does an awareness sharpen – at least that was the case for me – of how strongly one is shaped: by the region, the mentality, the dialect and of course the Palatinate wine, which I greatly appreciate. Only with distance from Heidelberg did I realize how attached I am to it.« LINK [€] and PDF
Mannheimer Morgen, interview by Stefan M. Dettlinger with Deniz Yücel, 22 January 2026. »We speak about democracy not only as polarization but also as a fragmentation of the public sphere. With this series we try, evening after evening, to overcome this fragmentation a little and thus create a civic public sphere in which everyone can have their say (…) by not putting up prohibition signs but by saying: everyone is invited, everyone can say anything – not at any time and not at any length, so that many can speak. But we are not afraid of the free word. Last time the result was very controversial, but civilized. And afterwards people said: ›Thank you for making this possible. We would not have thought that this was still possible at all.‹« LINK [€] und PDF
Panel at the Berliner Ensemble: Iran – Regime Change Now?
Tagesspiegel, report by Christiane Peitz, 19 January 2026. »At the beginning of the sold-out panel discussion on Sunday at the Berliner Ensemble, moderated by Shila Behjat, the focus is less on the question of an end to Ayatollah Khamenei than on the increasingly evident brutality of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and the paramilitary Basij militias over the past two or three days. A brutality that leaves one speechless, says PEN Berlin spokesperson Thea Dorn. Let us talk nevertheless, let us try. Taking part are Natalie Amiri, Mina Khani, Daniela Sepehri and Johannes Volkmann.« LINK
radio3 [rbb], report by Kai Salander, 19 January 2026. »The Iranian PEN fellow and poet Mahtab Yaghma opens the discussion at the Berliner Ensemble on Sunday afternoon with a piece of terrible news. […] Amiri, who for many years headed the ARD foreign studio in Tehran, speaks of a ›rollercoaster of emotions‹ for the people. On the one hand, there is hope that the United States is on their side. On the other hand, people fear a military strike. But how can Germany help? CDU politician Johannes Volkmann rejects the accusation of inaction. Berlin is not blocking sanctions; Brussels is. […] Natalie Amiri does not accept this argument. Germany could very well push through its interests in Brussels – see the automobile industry.« LINK and AUDIO
DLF Kultur, Fazit, report by Gerd Brendel, 19 January 2026. »The decisive question: ›Is there a chance of overthrowing the mullah regime?‹ At the beginning of the event there was a remembrance of the dead. ›Ziba from Nishapur is no longer alive‹, the poet Mahtab Yaghma recounts at the start of the event at the Berliner Ensemble about the situation in Iran. ›Ziba was the dearest of my friends, 33 years old, she had an eight-year-old daughter.‹ The young mother is one of thousands of victims murdered in prisons and on the streets of Iran in recent weeks and days. This is what the Iranian publicist and artist Mina Khani reports. And Daniela Sepehri quotes a political prisoner who, in a letter from prison a year ago, prophesied: ›Tyranny always has an expiration date.‹« LINK and AUDIO
The recording of the event, prepared as a podcast, is available wherever podcasts are found. Click here for the AUDIO
Series of talks about Heimat in Baden-Württemberg: »Is this still | already my country?«
PEN Berlin is heading to south-west Germany to host a series of talks in 22 towns and cities in Baden-Württemberg. This is the first in a series of events, with further talks planned for March in Rhineland-Palatinate, and in August and September in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and Berlin. As with our highly acclaimed series of events You can’t Say Anything Theses Days ahead of the 2024 state elections in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg, and our rally in Klütz, Mecklenburg, in September, the audience is invited to participate in the discussion. Furthermore, the audience is an integral part of the concept. MORE
On the event »Take Me Away from This Silence« with Ilhan Sami Çomak and Jan Wagner
radio3 [rbb], radio3 in the afternoon, report by Tomas Fitzel, 9 January 2026: »After 30 years in prison, the Kurdish poet Ilhan Sami Çomak was released at the end of last year. In 1994, Ilhan Sami Çomak, then a young man of just 21, was sentenced to death. (…) This verdict was challenged by many parties, including the European Court of Human Rights. (…) For thirty years, three months, and eight days, Ilhan Sami Çomak was imprisoned. (…) But when you encounter him—upright, with a smile, without anger or hatred—you realize that he had long since been a free man. (…) Anyone who has ever lost faith in the existential power of poetry and literature will have it restored by Ilhan Sami Çomak through his poems.« LINK and AUDIO
Iran: Narges Mohammadi and the Regime’s Fear
Numerous human rights activists and journalists, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, Sepideh Qolian and Alieh Motalebzadeh, were arrested in the eastern Iranian city of Mashhad today. The arrests occurred during a memorial service for the late human rights lawyer Dr Khosro Alikordi, who passed away in suspicious circumstances a few days ago. Daniela Sepehri, a board member of PEN Berlin, stated: »When journalists and human rights activists are arrested even while commemorating the dead, the regime shows how great its fear of the free word truly is. We demand the immediate release of all those detained.« MORE
General Assembly: PEN Berlin Grows to 720 Members
On November 30, 2025, PEN Berlin held its annual General Assembly. Author Linn Penelope Rieger was elected to the Board. In addition, 35 new members were admitted, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Irina Shherbakova, literary critic Iris Radisch, sociologist Harald Welzer, youth literature award winner Maren Amini, writers Ulrike Draesner, Matthias Nawrat, Maruan Paschen and Dana Ranga, publishers Tim Jung (Hoffmann und Campe), Tom Kraushaar (Klett-Cotta) and Oliver Vogel (S. Fischer) and Julia Draganović, Director of the German Academy Rome Villa Massimo. MORE
»Congress of PEN Berlin: »Who’s Gonna Clean This Up?«
Thea Dorn: »Why are you doing this to yourself?«
Opening speech: »Since becoming a spokesperson for PEN Berlin a year ago, there is one question I am constantly asked. »Why are you doing this to yourself?» […] I suspect that decisions which change everyday life as dramatically as mine did a year ago are usually related to one’s own life story. However, I don’t want to engage in autobiographical navel-gazing here. I suspect that my decision is just as much to do with the general circumstances of the time. That is why I hope that the question of why someone who has more than enough to do in their private and professional life would take on an energy- and time-intensive (I won’t say »energy-sapping«) voluntary position – that considerations on this question could be of general interest..« TEXT (in German)
Sofi Oksanen: »Before the Eyes of the World«
Keynote speech by Sofi Oksanen: »Russia’s colonial assimilation politics is much more efficient than you think, because it doesn’t only affect people on Russian-controlled territories, but also people living outside Russia. It has affected your thinking, your world view, values and moral code. Russia’s colonial politics is so efficient that majority of the Western war talk doesn’t highlight at all the very center of the war, the root causes of the war, to which the deportations are very much tied. to. This is precisely why the fixation of peace rhetoric on border kilometers is a path that does not lead to a sustainable and just peace. At the heart of the war is identity politics.« SPEECH
Wolfgang Kubicki/Renate Künast: »Is There A Right to Hate?«
Lead talk by Wolfgang Kubicki: »Technological progress must lead to us carrying our liberal ideals over into the 21st century and, at best, developing them further toward an even freer society – not to throwing them overboard. But that is exactly the path we are on – and I will resist it for as long as I remain politically active!« TALK
Lead talk by Renate Künast: »Where did it all begin, this entire debate? It began with the claim that in this country one can no longer express one’s opinion. And that escalated into hate. And when people then said that hate is not an opinion, not a contribution protected by the constitution, that too was criticised, and it was claimed that this, too, constituted a restriction of freedom of expression.« TALK
Writers in Prison: Peyman Farahavar, María Cristina Garrido, Mohamed Tadjadit
Daniela Sepehri: »Since the beginning of the year, the Iranian regime has executed more than 1,600 people. Please do not allow Peyman Farahavar, our colleague, to be executed next for his poetry.« In addition to the Iranian poet sentenced to death Peyman Farahavar, our congress also focused on the Cuban poet María Cristina Garrido Rodríguez (presented by Andrea Landfried) as well as the Algerian poet Mohamed Tadjadit (presented by Jayrôme Robinet).
Thea Dorn: »The relief was huge«
On the release of Boualem Sansal – interview by Andrea Gerk with Thea Dorn, DLF Kultur, Lesart, 13 November 2025: »We all know the saying that mercy prevails over justice, and of course in this case it would have been far more appropriate to let justice prevail over mercy and to acquit Boualem Sansal of these absurd accusations of ‘offenses against the unity of the nation’. But since this was evidently unattainable given the real power structures in Algeria, one must say: at least a sick, courageous, not-so-young man has been released in this way. But naturally, it leaves a bitter aftertaste.« LINK and AUDIO
Algeria: Boualem Sansal free at last
After one year in prison in Algeria, Boualem Sansal safely arrived in Germany today. We are overjoyed – and deeply relieved! We send our best wishes to Boualem Sansal, his family, and his loved ones. Special thanks go to Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who has been negotiating discreetly but decisively behind the scenes for months – as well as to everyone who tirelessly advocated for Boualem Sansal’s release.
Deniz Yücel: »Better a book fair than a manhunt«
Interview by Christian Eger with Deniz Yücel, Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, 6 November 2025: »At PEN Berlin we discussed whether we should join the protests, and we decided against it, because it is not our task to protest book fairs, but to intervene when freedom of expression, art, or the press is being restricted, no matter by whom. (…) A book fair should not be a cause for concern for anyone. That contradicts the very nature of a book fair. We have always told the far right that they should read a few books rather than just shout around. Now I cannot complain if some of them actually do so. Better a book fair than a manhunt.« LINK [€] and LINK
Iran: More arrests of prominent intellectuals
In a coordinated operation on Monday, 3 November, security forces loyal to the Iranian regime raided the homes of several prominent intellectuals. Since the autumn 2022 protests, the persecution of authors, journalists, and academics has not diminished. Their work and research is being hindered, they are restricted in what they can say, and they live in daily fear of arrest and prosecution. However, what has diminished is international media and political attention. Only solidarity and constant attention to the fate of those who continue to campaign for human rights and a free Iran can help protect them from arrest and violence at the hands of a state that does not shy away from executions. MORE
Thea Dorn: »Rule by experts is not democracy«
On the event »How popular may it be?« with Andreas Rödder and Julian Nida-Rümelin, moderated by Thea Dorn and Deniz Yücel on 7 November at the Körber-Haus in Hamburg. Discussion on DLF Kultur, Studio 9, 2 November 2025: »When people say: ‘Our societies have become so complicated, (…) there is this circle of experts at the top who know what’s going on, they set the direction and the rest should simply follow.’ One has to say very clearly: that is no longer a democracy. And that is why we must achieve – and that is also the task of journalists (…) – to communicate things in such a way that the famous ordinary person, who is part of the people, has a chance to form their own judgement. The other side, however, must bring a certain goodwill: the willingness to form a judgement and not to believe every nonsense that washes up on some shady website.« LINK and AUDIO
On Susanne Dagen: Either don’t invite, or take the fallout – but don’t disinvite
Nobody is obliged to invite Susanne Dagen. But if an organiser decides to do so, as in the case of the Landau »Denkfest« with Hamed Abdel-Samad, Meron Mendel, Susan Neiman and many others, then one can expect them to stand by this invitation. Last week, PEN Berlin’s press release on the disinvitation of Michel Friedman in Klütz stated: »Organisers are responsible for the safety of their guests and audience members. If there are justified security concerns about a guest or topic, these must be taken seriously. However, it is then the state’s responsibility to ensure everyone’s safety. Concerns about possible disturbances from any side can never be an argument for cancelling an event«. This always applies, including in this case. MORE
On Chefket’s disinvitation: Are you now the Federal Minister of Jerseys, Mr. Weimer?
Four questions for Jan Böhmermann, Chefket, House of World Cultures, and Wolfram Weimer: Mr Weimer, your announcement to »broaden the corridors (…) of what can be said, explored and represented instead of narrowing them« sounded good. But do you only mean freedom of expression as the freedom to represent the opinion of the Minister of State for Culture? As you are aware, the state in Germany promotes the autonomy of art and cultural institutions. »Why is a politician interfering in the programming of a literary centre?« Michel Friedman asked the day before yesterday in Klütz. Absolutely correct, Mr. Weimer, you are more than welcome to apply this question to yourself. Or are you now the Federal Minister of Jerseys? MORE
Zeit-Online from Klütz: »The market square really becomes an agora«
Feature report by Alisa Schellenberg Zeit Online, 30 September 2025: »Deniz Yücel and a colleague are moving around the market square with microphones – which really becomes an agora. A feast for social and political scientists. Many now want to speak, pluck up their courage. (…) Not everything that was said on Monday was nice. Some of it was even ugly. But there was grappling, there was argument. And at first it did not look like that at all. In the end, Thea Dorn, the moderator of the evening, says something along the lines that she has never experienced anything like what happened in Klütz today.« MORE
Deniz Yücel: »The constitution applies in Klütz as well«
Interview with the Lübecker Nachrichten, 27 September 2025: »We do not want to escalate and land in Klütz like a UFO. Of course, we invited the city council. Our rally is an offer to find a way out of this situation – not with a ›let bygones be bygones‹, but through dialogue, even through dispute. And I prefer to go to Klütz knowing that there are people there who welcome this rally. But we would do this even if that were not the case. (…) The constitution applies everywhere: in Klütz, in Kiel, in Kreuzberg. And I hope that on Monday a message will go out from Klütz: the next person who wants to cancel someone should think twice and ask themselves whether they are not just inviting even bigger trouble.« MORE
Honorary Member of PEN Berlin: We mourn the passing of Georg Stefan Troller
Georg Stefan Troller passed away on Saturday morning in Paris, aged 103. An emigrant, chronicler and humanist, Troller had been an honorary member of PEN Berlin since 2023, for whom freedom of speech and human dignity were the measure of all things. For PEN Berlin, Georg Stefan Troller remains a role model as an artist of conversation, a defender of open society, a fighter against fascism and anti-Semitism, and a witness to a century in which freedom of speech was lost and regained several times. His work reminds us that freedom is not merely a state of being, but also an attitude and imperative. It exemplifies the idea that language can do more than just state facts; it can also save, preserve and transform. MORE
Thea Dorn about Klütz: »Nothing has changed for us«
»We are surprised by the question of whether the rally will go ahead despite the mayor’s resignation. PEN Berlin has made it clear what the rally is against and what it stands for. Above all, it is against the bad habit of cancelling and counter-cancelling, and it stands for the autonomy of culture. We never called for his resignation; in fact, we invited Mr Mevius to the rally. Furthermore, this was never just about Klütz and Michel Friedman, but about broader trends. »The city of Klütz’s decision to disinvite Michel Friedman, which prompted us to organise Monday’s rally, remains unchanged by the announced resignation of Mayor Jürgen Mevius«, explains PEN Berlin spokesperson Thea Dorn.
Rally in Klütz: »Violence begins where talking ends«
»The decision to disinvite our founding member Michel Friedman from the Uwe Johnson Literature House in Klütz (Mecklenburg) has caused irritation – including for us. It is regrettable that the event planned for October 2026 has been cancelled. This event was to mark the 120th birthday of Hannah Arendt. This creates an impression that no one who cares about democracy, art, or civilised exchange would want. That is why we are calling for a rally on 29 September at 5 p.m. at the market square in Klütz. […] We cannot judge which of the publicly stated reasons led to Michel Friedman’s disinvitation and to what extent. That is why we are upholding four principles, which the rally in Klütz will also advocate.« MORE
Solidarity Evening for Ukraine at the ilb
Keynote by Volodymyr Yermolenko: » For us, the word ›hero‹ is no longer melodramatic«
»Today, Europe is helping Ukraine, but Ukraine is also helping Europe. Ukraine is helping Europe to rediscover its purpose of resisting tyranny. This is the origin of the European Union. Europe itself was once imperialistic and knows what it means to be on the side of evil, and then to switch to the side of good. It knows what it means to be a tyrant and to overcome tyranny. A hero is someone who stands up to someone stronger than themselves. Their belief in the impossible carries them forward. For us, the word ›hero‹ is no longer melodramatic. It has become pragmatic. We challenge that which seems stronger than us. We gain strength by achieving what was once thought impossible. That is why we say: Honour Ukraine. Honour the heroes.« FULL SPEECH: TEXT [ENGLISH] and AUDIO [GERMAN]
Message by Serhij Zhadan: »Everything bears the marks of war«
Opening speech by Deniz Yücel: »We are not neutral«
In the case of Borchert and most writers of his generation, one can understand from their biographies why their engagement with National Socialism revolved around the themes of war, dictatorship and resistance. However, I believe that the most significant literary references regarding the key lessons to be learned from the Nazi regime […] can be found primarily in the works of Paul Celan and Nelly Sachs rather than in those of Wolfgang Borchert, Siegfried Lenz or Günter Grass. The men from Smolensk or Kharkiv who liberated Auschwitz and the men from New York or Alabama who liberated Buchenwald did not follow Borchert’s call to say »no«. Instead, they closed the »ingeniously conceived dwellings of death« (Sachs) and, at great sacrifice, put an end to the work of the »master from Germany« (Celan) by force of arms. FULL SPEECH
On the anniversary of the protests in Iran: Mr. Dobrindt, would you reject the Dalai Lama?
Today marks the third anniversary of the start of the protest against the Islamist dictatorship in Iran. (…) In the initial period after the uprising was crushed, the German government issued visas to particularly vulnerable Iranian opposition figures without bureaucratic red tape; PEN Berlin was also able to bring several persecuted colleagues to safety in Germany with the support of the German authorities. However, in practice, entry permits under Section 22 of the Residence Act are no longer being issued – neither for Iranian citizens nor for others. MORE
Lahav Shani disinvited: The right to remain silent
PEN Berlin criticizes the decision to disinvite Israeli conductor Lahav Shani from the Flanders Festival Ghent, in particular the reasoning that he had not provided »sufficient clarity about his attitude to the genocidal regime in Tel Aviv«. Freedom of expression is not only the right to express oneself freely and without fear of reprisals, but also the right not to express oneself if one wishes. Forcing people to confess is a characteristic of authoritarian and totalitarian regimes. Demanding confessions from artists violates the fundamental right to freedom of expression and disregards the principle of separation between art and artists.« MORE
War in Gaza: PEN Berlin calls for greater protection for journalists
Press release: On Monday, twenty people, including five journalists working for international media were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Journalists are protected under international law. They are not a party to the conflict. Their job is to inform the public. PEN Berlin spokesperson Deniz Yücel said: »This protection only applies to the extent that they are actually acting as journalists. But it applies regardless of their political views. Freedom of the press is indivisible.« MORE
Volodymyr Yermolenko: »In the occupied territories, Ukrainian culture is dead«
Welt, interview by Deniz Yücel with Volodymyr Yermolenko, philosopher and President of PEN Ukraine, 21 August 2025: »The invasion has triggered a cultural revival. There is more interest in Ukrainian literature, there are festivals. Ukrainian culture is booming. But in the occupied territories, Ukrainian culture is dead, banned. (…) Throughout Ukraine’s entire history, intellectuals have been engaged. They have fought for their people, for the language, the culture. They are doing so now as well – with words, ideas, books, but also as volunteers and soldiers at the front. A few days ago, the painter Davyd Chychkan was buried, an anarchist who had volunteered for military service.« LINK [€]
On the gender-neutral language ban:
Well done, Mr. Minister! But gender-inclusive language alone is not enough
Press release: About Wolfram Weimer’s recommendation to refrain from using gender-neutral language in publicly funded institutions: PEN Berlin recommends not focusing solely on language, but rather taking a closer look at the content presented in museums and theatres. »The best argument for gender-neutral language has always seemed to me to be the gasping for breath it triggers in its opponents«, said PEN Berlin spokesperson Deniz Yücel. »Rarely has this argument been so brilliantly confirmed as now by the Minister of State for Culture.« MORE
About us
PEN Berlin.
We stand by our word.
We want a new PEN.
A contemporary and diverse PEN, that brings together writers and translators of all literary and journalistic genres writing in German or living in the German-speaking countries.
A PEN by and for colleagues who stand up for freedom of expression and open discourse, without presidents and other titles, with a gender-equal board.
A PEN which, in the spirit of the Charter of PEN International, opposes all forms of hatred, whose members put themselves at the service of freedom of expression and work together for a better future.
In the spirit of our namesake Berlin, the multilingual city that today stands for openness and for the overcoming of borders, we call ourselves PEN Berlin: an NGO committed to the ideals of enlightenment, diversity of opinion, tolerance, and solidarity.
Freedom of speech is increasingly threatened worldwide. More and more authors and translators fear for their lives and physical integrity. Our focus will therefore be on the material and moral support of persecuted colleagues.
We need this new PEN to give literature, poetry, and any other text-based genre the space to unfold free from fear.
We need this new PEN to denounce grievances and effectively help those who are threatened in their freedom of expression, regardless of origin and attitude.
We welcome all those who work with the word and are willing to join us in this endeavor.
We stand by our word. PEN Berlin was founded on June 10, 2022, and currently (November 2024) has almost 730 members. PEN Berlin is member of PEN International and of the German Conference on Literature.