Sydney PEN president Mark Isaacs interviews former PEN Prisoner of Conscience and Kurdish-Iranian writer, Behrouz Boochani, and Dr Omid Tofighian, translator of his book "No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison". This was Behrouz’s first public speaking event since he escaped from Papua New Guinea. Just one week earlier, Behrouz made a secretive journey to New Zealand with the assistance of close friends, Amnesty International and UNHCR. Behrouz was one of hundreds of asylum seekers and refugees who were exiled to Manus Island, Papua New Guinea for more than six years by the Australian government as part of Australia’s punitive border control policies. This event was recorded by Wollongong Writers Festival in November 2019.

PEN VOICES

Behrouz Boochani escapes from Papua New Guinea

Journalism is at its second crossroads in two decades: not one of means, but of privilege. Listen to the editor-in-chief of Schwartz Media, Erik Jensen, deliver the 2019 Sydney PEN Free Voices lecture at the Sydney Writers Festival. 

Erik Jensen's Fragile Minds

For the 2019 Day of the Imprisoned Writer, PEN Sydney invited Walkley Award-winning journalist, author and broadcaster Quentin Dempster to interview Jennifer Robinson, counsel to Julian Assange and WikiLeaks. Hosted in November 2019, this revealing and insightful conversation sheds some light on Julian Assange’s deteriorating condition in Belmarsh prison and the ongoing legal battle to defend him.

What's Really Happening to Julian Assange

Australian citizen and journalist, Yang Hengjun, was arrested in China on suspicion of espionage in January 2019. Since then he has been imprisoned by the Chinese authorities, enduring interrogation and alleged torture. In August he was charged with espionage, a move that could see him facing severe penalties including more than 10 years in prison. Sydney PEN is advocating for Yang’s release and PEN International is investigating his case

Yang Hengjun: Australian citizen and journalist imprisoned in China

When two Saudi journalists flew to Australia on 12 October 2019, the last thing they expected was to be arrested and placed in immigration detention. So what happened? And why is PEN being involved?

Two Saudi journalists imprisoned by Australia

Sydney PEN and the University of Technology Sydney hosted 2019 Miles Franklin award-winning novelist Melissa Lucashenko as she delivered a PEN Free Voices address for the Day of the Imprisoned Writer. This is a lecture that all Australians need to hear.

Melissa Lucashenko - When 'Freedom' Kills: An Aboriginal Viewpoint On Free Speech

In this episode of PEN Voices, Bangladeshi poet and journalist Humayun Reza speaks about the challenges some writers face in Australia.Produced by Mick Paddon and Humayun Reza of Eastside Radio.Supervising production by Sharon Davis.For more information about PEN International go herehttps://pen.org.au/collections/membership

Finding Voice - Humayun Reza

In today's episode we hear from PEN Prisoner of Conscience and Kurdish-Iranian writer, Behrouz Boochani, about his new book "No Friend But the Mountains". Behrouz is one of more than 1500 asylum seekers and refugees who have been detained on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea for over five years by the Australian government as part of Australia's punitive border control policies. Sydney PEN connected with Behrouz by phone as he remains detained on Manus Island.

Behrouz Boochani - No Friend But The Mountain

PEN Voices is a series of interviews relating to PEN International and its continuing efforts to defend freedom of expression and campaign on behalf of writers who have been silenced by persecution or imprisonment. PEN International is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere.

hubhopper

PEN VOICES

hubhopper