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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

 

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

 

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Iran: Regime Change Now? 

In light of the dramatic situation in Iran, we would like to invite you to a public discussion on Sunday, 18 January at the Neues Haus at the Berliner Ensemble. What is happening in Iran right now, and just how brutal has the repression become? What can Germany do? What must Europe do? What has been neglected so far? And most importantly, what concrete steps can be taken now—politically and through civil society? Taking part in the discussion are journalist and author Natalie Amiri; Johannes Volkmann, member of the Bundestag (CDU); Mina Khani, from the human rights organisation Hengaw; and Daniela Sepehri, author and board member of PEN Berlin; with moderator Shila Behjat. The podcast of the event is now available wherever you get your podcasts. Click here to listen to the AUDIO (in German, with some parts in Farsi).

 

Turkey: An Evening with Ilhan Çomak and Jan Wagner

How does one make it through 30 years in prison? When, at the age of 21, you become the victim of a judicial scandal that is ludicrous even by Turkish standards? In the case of Ilhan Sami Çomak, the answer is literature, more precisely, poetry. Çomak has published ten volumes of poetry during his imprisonment. The fact that Çomak did not leave prison at the end of 2024 as a broken and embittered person has a lot to do with the power of literature. On 8 January 2026, we will talk to him about this at the Maxim Gorki Theatre, to celebrate the German publication of his poetry collection »Take Me Away from This Silence«. The evening will be hosted by a poet and Büchner Prize laureate. Jan Wagner. MORE

 

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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

 

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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). TEXTS (in German)

 

 

 

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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 Shcherbakova, literary critic Iris Radisch, sociologist Harald Welzer, youth literature award winner Maren Amini, writer Ulrike Draesner, and Julia Draganović, Director of the German Academy Rome Villa Massimo. MORE

 

 

 

 

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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)

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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.

 

 

 

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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

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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

 

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 [€]

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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

 

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Georg Büchner Prize 2025: Congratulations, Ursula Krechel!

We warmly congratulate Ursula Krechel, co-founder of PEN Berlin and honorary president of the hearts, on being awarded the Georg Büchner Prize. »And here we are: a bunch of volunteers with a profession our parents warned us against.« (From her speech at the PEN Berlin Congress 2023). FULL SPEECH (in German)

 

 

 

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On the Federal »Action Day« by BKA: Yes, even hate can be a legitimate opinion

Press release: The Federal Criminal Police Office carried out its 12th »Action Day to Combat Criminal Hate Postings« on June 25, 2025. This resulted in over 180 »police measures«, including 65 house searches.

»The task of the investigating authorities is to prosecute crimes within the framework of the law and in accordance with the constitution. It is not their job to organise ›action days‹ or ›send a message‹. That is what the police do in authoritarian regimes: they send messages to intimidate and deter.« MORE

 

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Algeria:Boualem Sansal’s five-year prison sentence confirmed

Press release: Today, the Court of Appeal in Algiers confirmed the five-year prison sentence without parole handed down to French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal. This upholds the sentence issued on 27 March 2025. PEN Berlin and the German Publishers and Booksellers Association once again condemn this sentence in the strongest possible terms. […] We call on Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to show a gesture of humanity and release Boualem Sansal as part of the pardons traditionally granted on Algeria’s national holiday on 5 July. MORE

 

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Rights organizations call on Egypt: End repression against Basma Mostafa

We, the undersigned organizations, call on the Egyptian government to immediately end its campaign of transnational repression targeting exiled Egyptian journalists. We specifically urge the government to respond to the UN report detailing the harassment and surveillance of Egyptian investigative journalist Basma Mostafa, currently residing in Germany. We further urge German authorities to ensure her safety and uphold their international obligations to protect freedom of expression. MORE

 

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Iran: Concerns by arrest of Danial Moghaddam

Press release: PEN Berlin is deeply concerned about the re-arrest of rapper Daniel Moghaddam by the Islamic Republic of Iran. […] Moghaddam has repeatedly criticised the mullah regime in his songs and videos, and has spoken out in support of families whose relatives were killed in the »Woman, Life, Freedom« protests in 2022. »The regime is now cracking down even more brutally on its own people«, said Daniela Sepehri, PEN Berlin board member. MORE.

 

 

 

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Turkey: Protest against the arrest of Fatih Altayli

Press release: The Turkish regime has now targeted a journalist who has worked for major media outlets for a long time, as long as critical journalism was still possible. PEN Berlin spokesperson Deniz Yücel said: »The specific accusation is, at the very least, laughable. »Threatening« the president. The man who controls the entire state, including the judiciary, is accusing a journalist, who has spent his entire 43-year career with no means other than the power of his words at his disposal, of ›threatening‹ him.« MORE.

 

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PEN Berlin: Lucy Fricke, Ijoma Mangold and Daniela Sepehri join the board

Press release: At an extraordinary General Assembly on Sunday, PEN Berlin filled vacancies on its eleven-member board and admitted new members. Newly elected to the board are writer Lucy Fricke (»Töchter«), poetry slammer and human rights activist Daniela Sepehri, and journalist and author Ijoma Mangold, writer for Die Zeit. Among the 35 new members are director and writer Doris Dörrie; authors Valerie Fritsch and Helga Schubert; publicist Roger de Weck; historian Andreas Rödder; satirist Paula Irmschler; philosopher Wolfram Eilenberger; and Britta Egetemeier, a publisher at Penguin/Random House. MORE.

 

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Major fundraising campaign for independent media in Turkey:
Journalism is not a crime. And not for nothing.

»Since Ekrem Imamoğlu’s arrest, independent media outlets have come under greater pressure: fines, arrests, intimidation. To make matters worse, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, recently changed its algorithms so that critical, independent media no longer appear on Google News. (…) We would like to take this opportunity to contribute to the support of independent media in Turkey – providing tangible support that goes beyond the purely symbolic.« 
Fundraising campaign by PEN Berlin to support independent media outlets in Turkey with the support of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association, the Federal Association of Digital Publishers and Newspaper Publishers, the German Journalists’ Association, the German Journalists’ Union, the KulturForum TurkeyGermany, the Media Association of the Free Press, Reporters Without Borders, the taz Panter Foundation and the ver.di trade union. MORE | TÜRKÇE

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Iran: Poet Peyman Farahavar sentenced to death

Press release: PEN Berlin is deeply shocked by the death sentence passed on the poet Peyman Farahavar from the province of Gilan in Iran. n his political poems, Peyman Farahavar campaigns for environmental protection and social justice. He criticises deforestation, illegal land sales, and the expulsion of local farmers from the province of Gilan by state measures. »The death sentence against a poet who has done nothing but denounce environmental destruction and corruption exposes the Iranian power apparatus for what it is: a system of organised barbarism«, said PEN Berlin spokesperson Deniz Yücel. MORE

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taz: Death threats against journalist Nicholas Potter

Press release: Threats against taz journalist Nicholas Potter have reached a new level of escalation. […] »There are many things that can and must be discussed, and we are always in favour of interpreting the limits of freedom of expression as broadly as possible«, said Deniz Yücel. But when it comes to death threats, there is nothing to discuss. Criticism is not a crime, but incitement to murder is. We expect pro-Palestinian voices to draw the same line and condemn the vicious campaign against Nicholas Potter. And we expect the Berlin security authorities to continue to do everything in their power to ensure Nicholas Potter’s safety and to investigate the perpetrators. Our solidarity goes out to our colleague who has been the target of hostility. Nicholas, you are not alone. MORE

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PEN International: 57th International Writers’ Meeting

We put our heads together at the PEN International Writers for Peace Committee Meeting in Bled. Four intense days with colleagues from all over the world discussing the role of literature in times of climate crisis and war.

Many thanks to the Slovenian PEN centre for their wonderful hospitality and to all the PEN centres for the exchange!

Photo: Joachim Helfer (Board PEN Berlin), Tanja Tuma (Slovene PEN President and Vice-chair of the PEN international Board), Tienchi Martin-Liao (President Independent Chinese PEN) and Kim Echlin (PEN Canada)

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Thea Dorn on the disinvitation of Omri Boehm: » »A botched, undignified process«

DLF Kultur, April 7, 2025: »Philosopher Omri Boehm was due to speak at the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Buchenwald concentration camp, but was then disinvited. Thea Dorn, spokesperson for PEN Berlin, sees this as a new quality of disinvitation: »Up to now, these cases of disinvitation have tended to take the form of groups – sometimes organised online, as in the case of Thilo Mischke – putting pressure on institutions, which then suddenly get cold feet and fall over. But of course it takes on a new quality when this pressure comes from governments that are democratically elected, as in Israel and the United States, but (…) have autocratic tendencies. When these governments start to exert pressure, then of course it becomes much more tricky.‹« LINK and AUDIO

 

Omri Boehm’s speech at the Buchenwald Memorial: Disinvitationitis strikes again

Press release: »Ludicrous« is not the worst term to describe the whole process. From PEN Berlin’s point of view, Omri Boehm would have been an eminently suitable speaker for the commemoration. Now the Israeli ambassador to Germany is free to see things differently. But it shows a rather idiosyncratic understanding of his office if Ron Prosor sees himself as a kind of arbiter of German remembrance culture, who, as he announced via dpa, is »proud to show the red card« to forms of Holocaust remembrance that do not suit him or the Netanyahu government. MORE

 

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Magazine release: »manuskripte« with texts by Mahtab Yaghma

Our scholarship holder, the Iranian poet Mahtab Yaghma, inaugurates a new collaboration for texts by writers in exile between the Graz literary magazine and PEN Berlin with her haunting poems in »manuskripte« no. 247. Mahtab Yaghma’s poems have been translated into German by the writer Ali Aliabdollahi. Special thanks go to Andreas Unterweger, the editor of manuskripte, for his unwavering commitment in shaping this cooperation. LINK

 

 

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Coalition agreement: »Do not create a truth law if you do not want a Ministry of Truth«

Press release, April 1, 2025: The CDU/CSU and SPD are planning laws that would unduly restrict the fundamental right to freedom of speech. This applies to the passage in the coalition agreement which states that they want to ›combat hatred and agitation even more intensively‹ and to tighten up the criminal offence of ›incitement to hatred‹. It also refers to the planned creation of a new offence of »information manipulation«. […] Another warning should be that authoritarian regimes such as those in Russia, Turkey or Hungary have also taken up »the fight against disinformation and fake news«. But in an open society, truth is always subject to social debate, however painful. »Do not create a truth law if you do not want a Ministry of Truth«, Yücel said. MORE

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Algeria: Writer Boualem Sansal sentenced to prison

3Sat, Kulturzeit, report by Lotar Schüler, 27 March 2025: »The verdict is in. Five years in prison for the Algerian-French writer Boualem Sansal. Claudia Roth, Minister of State for Culture and the Media: »Our common demand must now be: the immediate and unconditional release of a great writer and intellectual.« Thea Dorn: »It is very important that we continue to make the public aware of the case […] Because the first thing that happens in such a system is that they tell the prisoner: ›You have been forgotten, no one is interested in you anymore, you can rot here with us‹.« LINK and VIDEO

 

Algeria: Five years in prison for Boualem Sansal

Press release, March 27, 2025: The verdict in the swift trial of the Algerian-French writer Boualem Sansal was announced today by the criminal court in Dar El Beïda, near Algiers. Sansal was sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of 500,000 Algerian dinars (around 3,500 euros). PEN Berlin strongly condemns the trial and sentence and calls for the immediate release of the 80-year-old writer. »According to the current coalition negotiations, Algeria is to be declared a safe third country«, said Deniz Yücel, spokesperson for PEN Berlin. »Algeria is not safe, least of all for people who dare to criticise those in power.« MORE

 

Algeria: Boualem Sansal faces ten years in prison

Press release, March 20, 2025: A swift trial against the Algerian-French writer Boualem Sansal began today at the criminal court in Dar El Beida near Algiers. The public prosecutor demanded a ten-year prison sentence for the 80-year-old writer, who has been awarded the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade. Sansal had to be represented by a court-appointed defence lawyer. The verdict is expected on 27 March. Deniz Yücel, spokesperson for PEN Berlin, said: »What we are witnessing here is a judicial farce. We are concerned that the verdict has already been determined before this swift trial began. This is how rogue states act.«MORE

 

Boualem Sansal: Protest at International Tourism Fair in Berlin

3sat, Kulturzeit, report by Luis Babst, March 4, 2025: »Tuesday noon at the International Tourism Fair in Berlin. Members of the PEN Berlin writers’ association are preparing for a protest: Freedom for Boualem Sansal. That is what the authors are calling for. The French-Algerian writer was arrested upon entering the country at Algiers airport last November. The writer Thea Dorn is a spokesperson for PEN Berlin and is organizing the protest action: ›That a seriously ill 80-year-old man has been in detention for a fourth month without charges, that his lawyer is being denied access to the files (…) – that is the behavior of rogue states.‹ With their protest in front of an Algerian tourism stand, the demonstrators want to draw attention to the contrast between a holiday destination and human rights violations. (…) After a while, the police are called. They nevertheless allow the writers to continue demonstrating. (…) [Daniel Kehlmann:] ›We must demand his release. Just as, incidentally, the Western governments must as well. Macron has already done so. I very much hope that the German government will do the same. Freedom of expression exists only if we all have it. If it does not apply to some, it applies to no one.‹« LINK and VIDEO