14-519: PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association has autonomous International PEN centres in more than 100 countries. Other goals included: to emphasise the role of literature in the development of mutual understanding and world culture; to fight for freedom of expression ; and to act as
28-574: A broad spectrum. A grove of trees beside Lake Burley Griffin forms the PEN International memorial in Canberra , Australian Capital Territory. The dedication reads: "The spirit dies in all of us who keep silent in the face of tyranny." The memorial was officially opened on 17 November 1997. A cast-iron sculpture entitled Witness , commissioned by English PEN to mark their 90th anniversary and created by Antony Gormley , stands outside
42-565: A particular profession , the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that profession, and the public interest . In the United States, such an association is typically a nonprofit business league for tax purposes. In the UK, they may take a variety of legal forms. The roles of professional associations have been variously defined: "A group of people in a learned occupation who are entrusted with maintaining control or oversight of
56-727: A powerful voice on behalf of writers harassed, imprisoned and sometimes killed for their views. The first PEN Club was founded at the Florence Restaurant in London on October 5, 1921, by Catherine Amy Dawson Scott , with John Galsworthy as its first president. Its first members included Joseph Conrad , Elizabeth Craig , George Bernard Shaw , and H. G. Wells . PEN originally stood for "Poets, Essayists, Novelists", but now stands for "Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists, Novelists" and includes writers of any form of literature, such as journalists and historians. The club established these aims: The president of PEN International
70-420: A professional body as "an organisation with individual members practicing a profession or occupation in which the organisation maintains an oversight of the knowledge, skills, conduct and practice of that profession or occupation". The Quality Assurance Agency distinguishes between statutory bodies and regulators that "have powers mandated by Parliament to regulate a profession or group of professions and protect
84-505: Is Burhan Sönmez . Past presidents since Galsworthy have included E. M. Forster , Alberto Moravia , Heinrich Böll , Arthur Miller , Mario Vargas Llosa , Homero Aridjis , Jiří Gruša , John Ralston Saul and Jennifer Clement . PEN International has its headquarters in London and is composed of autonomous PEN Centres in more than 100 countries around the world, each of which is open to writers, journalists, translators, historians and others actively engaged in any branch of literature. It
98-680: Is a non-governmental organization in formal consultative relations with UNESCO and Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations . PEN summarises its Charter, based on resolutions passed at its International Congresses: PEN affirms that: PEN International Writers in Prison Committee works on behalf of persecuted writers worldwide. Established in 1960 in response to increasing attempts to silence voices of dissent by imprisoning writers,
112-621: Is also a member of IFEX's Tunisia Monitoring Group (TMG), a coalition of twenty-one free expression organisations that began lobbying the Tunisian government to improve its human rights record in 2005. Since the Arab Spring events that led to the collapse of the Tunisian government, TMG has worked to ensure constitutional guarantees of free expression and human rights within the country. On 15 January 2016, PEN International joined human rights organisations Freemuse [ de ] and
126-474: The British Library in London. It depicts an empty chair, and is inspired by the symbol used for 30 years by English PEN to represent imprisoned writers around the world. It was unveiled on 13 December 2011. Professional association A professional association (also called a professional body , professional organization , or professional society ) is a group that usually seeks to further
140-681: The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, along with seven other organisations, to protest against the 2013 imprisonment and 2015 sentencing of musicians Mehdi Rajabian and Yousef Emadi, and filmmaker Hossein Rajabian , and called on the head of the judiciary and other Iranian authorities to drop the charges against them. Ma Thida is the Chair of this committee. The various PEN affiliations offer many literary awards across
154-513: The Writers in Prison Committee monitors the cases of as many as 900 writers annually who have been imprisoned , tortured , threatened, attacked, made to disappear, and killed for the peaceful practice of their profession. It publishes a bi-annual Case List documenting free expression violations against writers around the world. The committee also coordinates the PEN International membership's campaigns that aim towards an end to these attacks and to
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#1732779819391168-527: The legitimate practice of the occupation;" also a body acting "to safeguard the public interest;" organizations which "represent the interest of the professional practitioners," and so "act to maintain their own privileged and powerful position as a controlling body." Professional associations are ill defined although often have commonality in purpose and activities. In the UK the Science Council defines
182-484: The suppression of freedom of expression worldwide. PEN International Writers in Prison Committee is a founding member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), a global network of 90 non-governmental organisations that monitors censorship worldwide and defends journalists, writers, internet users and others who are persecuted for exercising their right to freedom of expression. It
196-505: The use of professional titles" and professional bodies that "are independent membership organisations that oversee the activities of a particular profession and represent the interests of [their] members" and which "may offer registration or certification of unregulated occupations on a voluntary basis." Many professional bodies are involved in accrediting degrees, defining and examining the skills and competencies necessary to practice, and granting professional certifications to indicate that
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