Chief Program Officer, Free Expression
@PENAmerica
| former
@USAID
| human rights & democracy advocate | world traveler, feminist, U2 fan. Views my own.
Voting by mail works, and it's the safest option during a pandemic. But it means we may not have results on election night. We need to start getting everyone used to that idea NOW. Glad to see
@EllenLWeintraub
and
@KevinMKruse
making the case.
“The greatest myth of the 2016 election is that the polls got the election wrong. What if the polls did not get it wrong? What if the GOP game of voter subtraction got it right? What if the GOP game is even stronger in 2020?”
My latest
@TheAtlantic
. 1/4
So grateful for the support of
@neilhimself
for our work on campus free speech! There are ways to address these challenges without sacrificing either free expression OR the need to make campuses more inclusive & equitable for all. Check out our new Guide to learn more!
.
@PENamerica
has released a Campus Free Speech Guide to "help students, faculty, & administrators navigate thorny campus speech situations, to help promote dialogue, & ensure an inclusive environment where all community members can be heard." Useful & Good
Shutting down historical inquiry is what authoritarians do--especially when it threatens their preferred historical narrative. This was a bad idea when Sen Cotton proposed it. It's disgraceful to see the president threaten it, too.
A devastating and disgraceful outcome. These brave, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters should be free to return to their families and their vital work.
#FreeWaLoneKyawSoeOo
.
@DanKurtzer
is former US Ambassador to both Egypt and Israel, and a veteran of and deep thinker on the peace process (and, I can personally attest, an excellent professor, in case there was any doubt about his grading).
When Trump/Kushner released their economic plan in Bahrain, I said that, as a paper written by undergraduates, it merited a C-. I was guilty then of grade inflation. The political plan released today is sophomoric, and it is just plain stupid and dangerous. F-.
Hard to read this as anything but another example of the Trump admin's pattern of retaliation against the press, in this case
@NPR
. Astonishingly petty move by
@SecPompeo
, & a shameful demonstration of disregard for
#pressfreedom
, gov't transparency, & the public's right to know.
Feeling pretty emotional about this—it’s an important reminder of why we must never give up in the face of oppression, never give up the fight for freedom and human rights. Because we can win. And we must.
#Sentsov
It’s easy to get caught up in the torrent of news and nonsense coming from Washington these days. Let’s take a moment to savor what true activism can yield, what true determination can mean. Welcome home, Oleg.
"We must honor our moral responsibility to safeguard the lives and liberties of journalists at home and abroad, and if we decide commercial interests override the statements we make and the actions we take, then we must admit we have lost all moral authority." —
@SpeakerPelosi
🧵On 26 May 2023, students at
@NewRoadsK12
—the California elementary school
@TheAmandaGorman
attended—presented a reading of The Hill We Climb in response to the removal of the book from school library shelves in Miami-Dade County in Florida.
At
@nypl
and around the globe, readers and writers are standing in solidarity with
@SalmanRushdie
and celebrating his tireless advocacy for freedom of expression and the plight of imperiled writers around the globe.
#StandWithSalman
Doing your job as a journalist should never mean facing harassment and threats of violence. Standing with
@GayleKing
and glad to see so many others coming to her defense as well. This is why
@PENamerica
works to
#FightOnlineHarassment
@sarahkendzior
@Granitepolitics
I also thought you were forgetting him, which would be understandable, because I could literally go like 9 months without ever remembering that Rick Perry is a cabinet secretary. (But then I saw the news about him leaving.)
@rachsyme
Carrie Fisher’s Marie in When Harry Met Sally...: "I want you to know, that I will never want that wagon-wheel coffee table."
That delivery is <chef’s kiss>.
Also:
Sally: “And I’m gonna be FORTY!”
Harry: “When??”
Sally: “Someday!”
Always say “someday” that way to myself.
This report is the result of months of courageous, thoughtful work by many of my
@PENamerica
colleagues, and I'm proud to have been a part of its creation. We hope it contributes to and sparks conversation.
🧵In a new report, PEN America warns against the cancellation of books due to online outrage—and calls for a broad recommitment to the freedom to write & the freedom to read.
Read: Booklash: Literary Freedom, Online Outrage, and the Language of Harm
Take 7 minutes to watch House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and others respond to the Capitol insurrection in previously unseen footage.
International authors & filmmaker Tsitsi Dangarembga
@EfieZethu
& Julie Barnes
@jbcorporatex
have been convicted of incitement to cause public violence for demonstrating peacefully.
It means that the constitutional right to protest has been thrown out of the window in Zimbabwe.
Jamal's legacy lives on and inspires all of us to continue the fight for free expression and press freedoms. My
@PENamerican
colleagues and I remember him today and continue to call for
#JusticeforJamal
.
“By honoring and remembering Jamal Khashoggi, we remind the Saudi government—and our own—that murdering journalists is not just barbaric and grotesque, but incapable of stifling their voices.” —
@Egangoonsquad
#JusticeForJamal
Saudi Arabia sentencing 5 people to death for the murder of
#JamalKhashoggi
represents no real justice. This was a trial held in the total opacity of the Saudi judicial system. It is a smokescreen intended to let the Kingdom & its apologists say justice was done – but it wasn’t.
What a sad statement on the direction things are going in Hong Kong. Illustrates the point
@hrw
was making and the concern that so many human rights orgs share. Standing in solidarity with
@KenRoth
against this kind of attempt to silence the truth. It won’t work.
I flew to Hong Kong to release
@HRW
’s new World Report. This year it describes how the Chinese government is undermining the international human rights system. But the authorities just blocked my entrance to Hong Kong, illustrating the worsening problem.
Deeply disturbing news. As ever, we
@PENamerica
stand with
@AlinejadMasih
against the threats of a regime so clearly afraid of her voice and her power.
Shocked to learn that an assassin with a loaded AK47 came my home in Brooklyn. Last year, the Islamic Republic, tried to kidnap me, now they want to kill me. I’m grateful to federal agents but the Administration must do more to protect US citizens.
I highly recommend attending one of
@Mikel_Jollett
's virtual book events for his new memoir. It was much more than a reading--like Springsteen on Broadway, it was a unique & beautiful combination of storytelling, music, & honesty. I cried a lot, & it was wonderful.
I just want to thank
@strandbookstore
for hosting my book event tonight despite the covid outbreak by moving it online.
There are no more tickets available for tonight but tickets to future events can be found here:
Horrifying, unspeakable news out of
#Myanmar
. This abhorrent act should clarify for the world the junta’s brutality. The international community must hold them to account. We join their families and the people of Myanmar in mourning this devastating loss.
The work of journalists to ask the hard questions, dig for the truth, and help us understand how we got here is rarely as urgent and life-or-death as it is right now. This is an astoundingly irresponsible thing for the surgeon general to say.
#defendpressfreedom
The surgeon general just said from WH briefing podium, "no more finger-pointing or criticism" and called for "less stories looking at what happened in the past.
These new limits on information sharing will harm civil society, activists, writers, artists, journalists, and others around the world who rely on this and other platforms for their livelihoods, communication, and collaboration. It’s devastating to see, honestly.
The murders of Lithuanian documentary filmmaker
#MantasKvedaravicius
& Ukrainian photojournalist
#MaksimLevin
represent devastating losses. Both sought--in the face of mortal danger--to document the crimes of Russia's war on
#Ukraine
.
Disturbing news of a top
@Wikipedia
editor doxed by state security & then arrested in
#Belarus
, seemingly for editing entries about Russia's war on
#Ukraine
. Ostensibly, Russia's horrific law against "fake news" about the war only applies *in* Russia...
Please spread the word about this great resource for writers & journos (but really anyone) experiencing online harassment and hate, from
@PENamerican
:
#fightonlineharassment
I cannot imagine more inspiring news to wake up to. Narges Mohammadi is a heroic activist & writer who has endured such horrors, yet never stops fighting for the cause of women’s rights & human rights in Iran. And we
@PENamerica
will never stop fighting for her
#FreedomtoWrite
.
Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo's unjust and absurd conviction and 7-year sentence are upheld. What hopes we all had for democracy in Myanmar feel utterly dashed; these two brave men and their brave families are being punished for believing in that hope. Devastating.
#FreeWaLoneKyawSoeOo
The world is united in calling for the release of the unjustly jailed
@Reuters
reporters in Myanmar. We hope for justice to be restored tomorrow, and for the court to
#FreeWaLoneKyawSoOo
on appeal and reunite them with their families.
Twitter has always been far from perfect, to say the least. But it’s also been a vital source of free and open information for people around the world. Musk seems utterly oblivious to that, focused only on protecting his own interests.
Great, important piece from my
@PENamerica
colleague
@JRTtager
on the Chinese government's ongoing attempts to silence critics--no matter where in the world they are. China must release
#guiminhai
and
#yanghengjun
.
My colleague
@jonfreadom
's latest piece is essential reading for understanding what's driving today's book banners — and the reality of the assault on ideas, freedom, and students' fundamental right to read. Don't miss it.
#BannedBooks
#FreedomtoRead
"WHAT'S AT STAKE when we talk about book bans is student learning and well-being," writes PEN America's
@jonfreadom
in
@USATODAY
. "Semantic gymnastics about what is or isn’t a ban is an effort to deny and distract from the problem."
#BannedBooks
#Reading
Completely unacceptable. We at
@PENamerica
stand with our
@pressfreedom
colleagues and join them in calling for an explanation and investigation from Pakistani authorities.
One reason I wanted to work
@PENamerica
was its willingness to stand up to Trump's abuses of power & assaults on the press & free expression. I was so proud when we filed this suit, & I'm proud it has laid the groundwork to defend
#pressfreedom
from abuse by any future president.
BREAKING: PEN America and counsel
@protctdemocracy
announced a settlement in our landmark First Amendment lawsuit against President Trump. The agreement sets a precedent that shields future reporters from retaliatory attacks from the president.
That's more "false or misleading claims" in 2019 than in the prev 2 years combined. Can you imagine in an election year? Buckle up and join
@PENamerica
in standing up for truth.
#FreeSpeech2020
Everyone should be appalled by this proposed MO legislation to ban select children's books & jail librarians who don't comply. It's like something out of a dystopian novel--probably one these 'parent panels' would ban.
@PENamerica
, we're not standing for it. Fight
#bannedbooks
.
Wow, this HORRIBLE proposed book ban bill in Missouri that would LOCK UP LIBRARIANS is getting lots of traction. We're gathering reactions from our
@PENamerica
Members and friends. Check it.
“It remains unclear why these individuals were detained, but the mere possibility that it was due to their advocacy sets a troubling tone for other journalists and lawyers,” says our US Free Expression Director, Nora Benavidez (
@AttorneyNora
).
“First Amendment rights do not stop at the schoolhouse door,” PEN America’s Nadine Farid Johnson reminds
@JudiciaryGOP
, highlighting the need to prepare students for "life in a participatory democracy, one that requires us to debate, to understand and to discuss."
#FreeTheBooks
@NPR
@SecPompeo
As with his earlier attacks on
@NPRKelly
, the Secretary's behavior enables autocrats around the world who shut down press outlets & seek to silence journalists for doing their jobs. Coming from the US SecState, this has real implications for global
#pressfreedom
.
I literally wrote a whole paper in grad school (pre-Beijing games) on how the
#Olympics
have always been a venue for political statement-making, and to pretend otherwise, or suggest that they are somehow ‘above politics’ is disingenuous at best.
A huge relief & long overdue justice for
@ahmetnesin1
@SKorurFincanci
and
@RSF_tr
representative
@ErolOnderoglu
. They never should have faced trial for standing in solidarity with a Kurdish newspaper, but this is a victory.
These claims rely on fiction, not facts to describe unemployment figures. Poverty is highest we've seen. Cutting public benefits at lightning speed.
#BHMPolicyWatch
🧵STAND WITH SALMAN
Friday, August 19, 2022
11:00am ET
New York Public Library
A PEN America,
@nypl
&
@penguinrandom
public reading drawn from Rushdie’s body of work.
Can’t be in Manhattan? Read on for more ways to show your support.
#StandWithSalman
This is an absurd and unacceptable case of prior restraint--the injunction should be overturned immediately and the
@HeraldTribune
free to publish their reporting.
#pressfreedom
Calling it an unconstitutional prior restraint violating both the U.S. and Florida constitutions,
@HeraldTribune
is challenging a June 10 emergency injunction prohibiting it from publishing the names of deputies involved in a fatal shooting in April:
Just an astounding thing for a US Sen to say to
@CNN
's Chief Congressional Correspondent. This is the extent to which Trump's denigration of the press has been normalized (and why this problem will outlast him). It's the American people--and democracy--that suffer.
#pressfreedom
Sen. Martha McSally, a Republican facing a difficult election race, lashed out when I asked if she would consider new evidence as part of the Senate trial. “You’re a liberal hack - I’m not talking to you. You’re a liberal hack.” She then walked into a hearing room.
So, so thrilled that Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo are finally FREE and reunited with their families, after more than 500 days in prison. Wa Lone: “I can’t wait to go to my newsroom.” ☺️ See
@PENamerican
statement here:
I’ve been saying this about the Arab Spring for years. It’s just wrong to blame the chaos in Libya/Syria on the revolutions—the blame is on the dictators & their decades of oppression & failed governance. Dictators aren’t providing stability, they’re guaranteeing eventual chaos.
9. That a revolution against a dictator might lead to chaos and civil war is not an argument against revolution (it's also incidentally what dictators themselves argue). Otherwise, revolution, even under the most horrific of regimes, could never be justified
The US must not be a party to covering up the brutal murder of a
@washingtonpost
journalist by an authoritarian regime. If Trump will not hold MBS accountable, Congress should take action, but an independent, UN-authorized investigation is also needed now.
#JusticeforJamal
Just in: Emerging from a briefing by CIA Director Gina Haspel, top Senate Republicans said it’s clear that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was responsible for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
After 145 days and under the threat of forced feeding, Oleg Sentsov has ended his hunger strike. Read his full statement, obtained through his lawyer, below.
#FreeSentsov
Thrilled to be featured in SPEECH ITSELF, a new Jenny Holzer installation that celebrates
@PENamerica
's century-long defense of the written word. The installation will light up
@rockcenternyc
from TONIGHT - Sept 18, between 8-10 PM each night.
Grateful to the
@washingtonpost
for drawing attention to the threat that educational gag orders pose to free expression, education, and democracy.
#EdScare
"The rise of policies to silence teachers and whitewash curriculums harms schools, students — and, ultimately, democracy."
Washington Post editors highlight the findings of
#PENAmerica
's new report on educational gag orders.
Read free with gift link:
Our sister
@LoujainHathloul
, was sentenced to 5 years and 8 months after 3 years in pre-trial detention, during which she was brutally tortured, placed in solitary confinement, went on 2 hunger strikes. Her crime? Defending women’s rights.
Gov
@RonDeSantisFL
says book bans are a "hoax" and the only books being removed from classrooms are "pornographic and inappropriate" materials that were "snuck into" classrooms and libraries to "sexualize" students and violate education standards. 1/15
This
#HumanRightsDay
, I'm thinking of all the courageous people in
#Belarus
who have exercised their right to free expression to call for democracy and freedom. We
@PENamerica
stand with you. Thank you
@RepMcGovern
for joining us.
Ugandan authorities need to cease any attacks on
@HEBobiwine
immediately, and the international community needs to speak up--especially given that the internet in Uganda is currently shut down, leaving the country's people unacceptably in the dark.
#UgandaDecides2021
#KeepitOn
Certainly hoping that this is the last day anyone needs to be posting this image. The trial of these
@Reuters
journalists has done little more than further expose a broken policing and judicial system that continues to victimize the people of Myanmar.
#FreeWaLoneKyawSoeOo
A devastating, shocking sentence for Xu Zhiyong, courageous Chinese writer and activist and
@PENamerica
's 2020 PEN/Barbey
#FreedomToWrite
Award honoree. His only "crime" has been to dream of a free, democratic China. The fight for his freedom will continue.
#FreeXuZhiyong
Chinese writer and activist Xu Zhiyong sentenced to 14 years in prison today on charges of "subversion", one of the longest sentences handed down to a Han Chinese human rights activist recently. He wrote and yearned for a democratic China.
#FreeXuZhiyong
Always in awe of the courage of
@LinaAlhathloul
& her family as they fight to
#FreeLoujain
. "It is clear she has been imprisoned for defending women’s rights and for her speech"--that's why
@PENamerica
honored her, & we won't stop fighting til she's free.
Deeply alarming allegations, and inexplicable how
@Instagram
thinks US sanctions law would require them to take down tweets just mentioning Soleimani by private individuals or journalists.
It's terrible that Rush Limbaugh has cancer. It's terrible that John Lewis has cancer. No one deserves such horror. But only one of them deserves the Presidential Medal of Honor. We see you,
@repjohnlewis
, and your fight for justice & progress in this country. We thank you.
Among the many atrocities we are witnessing in Russia's war on
#Ukraine
, the murder of a journalist represents yet another violation of international law, but also a clear attempt to silence those documenting the horrors of the war.
Brent Renaud, an award-winning American filmmaker and journalist, was killed on Sunday while reporting in Irpin, a Kyiv suburb, Ukrainian authorities said.
One of the first things I did when I joined
@PENamerica
was to give remarks at a demonstration calling for Tashi Wangchuk’s release. It’s long overdue, but it’s wonderful news, nonetheless.
We're celebrating news that Tibetan language rights advocate Tashi Wangchuk has been released from prison. He was initially detained five years ago shortly after appearing in a
@nytimes
story on Tibetan language rights in China.
I wrote this piece in February, and it unfortunately still applies today, on the one year anniversary of Jamal's murder. But we will not forget, and we will not give up the fight for accountability.
#JusticeforJamal
@PENamerica
This attack on the people of Myanmar's access to information and freedom of expression must not stand. The int'l community needs to make clear this is unacceptable.
#Myanmarcoup
#KeepitOn
⚠️ Confirmed: A near-total internet shutdown is in effect in
#Myanmar
as of 1 a.m. local time; real-time network data show national connectivity at just 14% of ordinary levels following state-ordered information blackout; incident ongoing 📉
📰Background:
Check out
@PENamerica
’s report on the
#localnews
crisis, which calls for a reimagining of local journalism as a public good & the need for creative, holistic solutions. So much great work going on that we all need to protect & support!
#kmf20
This is exactly why
@PENamerica
sees online harassment as a
#freeexpression
issue. No one should have to deal with this kind of abuse to do their job, and no one's voice should be silenced by harassment and threats.
#FightOnlineHarassment
This is now a trend--Russian authorities trying to avoid international condemnation by not putting people in jail, but still finding them guilty and subjecting them to fines for nothing more than exercising their right to free expression. It must stop.
A Russian court has found journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva guilty of “justifying terrorism” in a controversial case widely criticized as an attack on freedom of speech. Prokopyeva has maintained her innocence throughout the trial.
.
@PENamerica
is undertaking an exciting new research project on race and journalism in the Trump era, in partnership with the
@IBWellsSociety
, and we're seeking researchers--find out more and see info on how to apply here!
Amen. This has been my mantra for so many years...likewise, the Arab Spring didn't *bring* instability to the MENA region--that is the inevitable result of decades upon decades of oppression. Brutal despotism does NOT = stability; it breeds the very opposite.
Successive US presidents have sold us out - in
#Saudi
Arabia,
#Egypt
, etc - in exchange for an illusory “stability.” No country where regimes fill murder, torture, and fill jails with opponents is “stable.” A stable country is one where people are free and live in dignity.
Of course, there should never have been any charges to dismiss, but I'm still thrilled to hear this. And
@josie_huang
is right on. The
#FirstAmendment
is for all of us--don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
So very grateful for all the support bestowed on me as a reporter. Also...the 1st Amendment means all of us, not just journalists at recognized news orgs, have the rights of free speech and assembly.
Such incredible news. Given the horrors these women have reportedly faced while in prison, even temporary freedom is deeply important. Now we hope to see the rest of the women freed as well, and wait to see what this means for their cases.
#StandwithSaudiFeminists
#FreedomtoWrite
PEN America is overjoyed at news that one of our designated 2019 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award winners, Saudi writer-activist Eman Al-Nafjan, has been released temporarily from prison.
#StandWithSaudiFeminists
#FreeNarges
now! With nearly 300 signatories and counting, we’re a part of the global call to release writer-activist Narges Mohammadi ahead of the
#NobelPeacePrize
ceremony. Read our letter and add your name to join the petition at
@PENamerica
:
NEW: Plainclothes police captured and held Cuban artist Tania Bruguera overnight Friday, part of a larger crackdown on artists who dare to speak out against repression.
Our
@AtRiskArtists
statement.
Standing room only at the panel on safety of women journalists at the
#DefendMediaFreedom
conference today. Thank you to
@IWMF
for shouting out
@PENamerican
’s Online Harassment Field Manual! You can check it out here:
An election is the voice of the people. And a core principle of American democracy is that we choose our leaders – our leaders do not choose their voters. We must count every vote because every vote counts.
#CountEveryVote
Completely unacceptable. Foreign journos expelled and local journos working for foreign outlets stripped of accreditation. The Belarusian regime has been engaged in a brutal crackdown for weeks. It must not be permitted to operate in darkness.
#DefendPressFreedom
Devastating news from Minsk: the Belarusian foreign ministry has stripped dozens of locals journalists working for foreign media of their press accreditation, affecting the entire bureaus of Reuters, AP, AFP, Deutsche Welle. 1/2
18 yrs ago
@JulieDuque1
was kidnapped & tortured. This was just one of many forms of persecution she faced for reporting on the crimes of gov't & military officials. Her case is considered a 'crime against humanity' yet perpetrators remain free. There must be accountability.