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A new scheme proposed by the Government of UK will seize assets from ex-offenders who write about their crimes. The proposed law is too broad in its scope with insufficient safeguards against abuse, argues English PEN in a briefing document for parliamentarians and the press.

The right to know has changed lives. Members of the public have become re-engaged in democracy, with new tools to question unworkable policies, unveil hidden statistics, and uncover corrupt practices. ARTICLE 19 suggests a review of legislative updates since the last 28 September.

On 7 October 2006, Russian journalist, author and human rights defender Anna Politkovskaya was found shot dead in an elevator in her Moscow apartment building. Three years later, no-one has been brought to justice for her brutal murder.

On the eve of the anniversary of Anna’s murder, RAW in WAR honours her memory and the work of other women like her in the world, by presenting the annual Anna Politkovskaya Award to a courageous human rights defender from Iran.

To mark the Day of the Imprisoned Writer, the Writers in Prison Committee will be holding our annual service at St Bride’s Church, Fleet Street.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, English PEN hosts a special screening of a classic documentary written and presented by Michael Frayn.

Hassan Blasim is a poet, filmmaker and refugee of the Iraq War. His debut short story collection, The Madman of Freedom Square, is a dark excursion into the chaos of contemporary Baghdad, an allegorical snapshot of recent Iraqi history and a rare critique of the refugee experience in Europe.

The PEN/Pinter prize will be awarded annually to a British writer of outstanding literary merit whose work encapsulates the principles of freedom and truth that Harold Pinter upheld throughout his writing career.

ARTICLE 19 believes the latest draft resolution by UN Human Rights Council on freedom of expression is “a breakthrough”. Still, the NGO recommends omitting another vague concept of “negative stereotyping of religions” in the document.