{"id":5840,"date":"2025-04-23T20:25:54","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T17:25:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pen-greece.org\/?p=5840"},"modified":"2025-04-23T20:25:54","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T17:25:54","slug":"pen-international-calls-for-an-end-to-book-bans-on-world-book-day-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pen-greece.org\/en\/pen-international-calls-for-an-end-to-book-bans-on-world-book-day-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"PEN International calls for an end to book bans on World Book Day 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cCensoring books is not just silencing authors, it is an attempt to suppress society\u2019s ability to question, and to reflect. Authoritarian governments fear the transformative power of words\u2014words that challenge injustice, expose truths, and inspire change. At PEN International, we continue defending the right to write, to read, publish and imagine alternative futures. We believe that books are not only vessels of creativity, but also powerful forces capable of reshaping dominant narratives and resisting oppression.\u201d<\/em> Burhan Sonmez, President of PEN International<\/strong><\/p>\n

23 April 2025: Over the last year, PEN International has documented a dramatic increase in book banks and censorship, and the persecution of their authors globally, as documented in\u00a0<\/strong>Identity On Trial: Persecution And Resistance, PEN International Case List 2025<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. Authorities worldwide are restricting access to books that address sexual violence, LGBTQ narratives, and issues of race, disproportionately affecting marginalised communities and signalling a dangerous shift towards intolerance.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The growing ban and censorship of books reflects ongoing attempts to reshape cultural and social narratives, highlighting the spread of cancel culture across regions and reaffirming how books remain powerful tools for social change. Such actions risk stigmatising authors and exposing them to potential threats and persecution.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0Afghanistan<\/strong>, the Taliban has continued to perpetuate an environment of fear and isolation amongst writers and poets who have authored books containing themes or ideas that run contrary to the Taliban\u2019s interpretation of Sharia. In October 2024, The Taliban\u2019s Ministry of Information and Culture published a list of over 400 banned books that have been seized from markets, libraries and book sellers on the basis of their apparent \u2018conflict with Islamic and Afghan values\u2019.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0Argentina<\/strong>, in 2024, government officials and groups linked to President Javier Milei\u2019s supporters launched a\u00a0campaign<\/a>\u00a0to censor books addressing issues such as feminicide and sexual abuse, calling for their removal from schools and bookshops. All targeted books were written by women; including Dolores Reyes\u2019s\u00a0Cometierra<\/em>\u00a0and Mar\u00eda Sol Fantin\u2019s\u00a0If you weren’t such a child: Memories of violence<\/em>, among others.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0Equatorial Guinea<\/strong>, writer Trifonia Melibea Obono Ntutumu has faced ongoing intimidation and harassment by authorities since the 20216 publication of her novel\u00a0La Bastarda<\/em>, which explores women\u2019s rights, gender and sexuality. The book remains banned.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0Malaysia<\/strong>, government authorities have banned at least nine books in early 2025 for being \u2018undesirable publications\u2019 that include content considered to be \u2018prejudicial to morality\u2019. Several of the prohibited books\u00a0reportedly<\/a>\u00a0contain LGBTQ themes.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0Mali<\/strong>, non-fiction author\u00a0\u00c9tienne Fakaba Sissoko<\/a>\u00a0was arrested in March 2024 over his book\u00a0Propagande, Agitation, Harc\u00e8lement,\u00a0<\/em>which criticises the military government\u2019s communication during the political transition.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0Palestine<\/strong>, the February arrest of Palestinian author\u00a0Mahmoud Muna<\/strong>\u00a0and his nephew Ahmad Muna, owners of Jerusalem\u2019s Educational Bookshop, highlights the increasing silencing of voices speaking out against Israel\u2019s occupation of the Palestinian territory.<\/p>\n

In the\u00a0Russian Federation<\/strong>, publishers recalled books with LGBTQ+ content, while in\u00a0Belarus<\/strong>, books that challenged official narratives continued to be removed from bookshops and libraries, and to be labelled \u2018extremist materials\u2019.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0T\u00fcrkiye,\u00a0<\/strong>authorities maintained strict control over the media and publishing landscape. In July 2024, storytelling platform Wattpad was the latest victim of a series of court orders blocking popular social media platforms, websites, and literary publishers. In September, police raided a bookstore in Diyarbak\u0131r, detaining individuals and seizing hundreds of books on alleged terror-related charges. Scores of\u00a0Kurdish<\/strong>\u00a0writers, including novelist Yavuz Ekinci, who faced up to seven-and-a-half years in prison for his book\u00a0R\u00fcyas\u0131 B\u00f6l\u00fcnenler (Dream Divided)<\/em>, continued to be persecuted for promoting Kurdish language and culture.<\/p>\n

In the\u00a0United States<\/strong>,\u00a0 around 16,000 book bans have been recorded in public schools since 2021 \u2013 a level of censorship\u00a0 not seen since the McCarthy era, according to\u00a0PEN America<\/a>. Most targeted books address race, racism, LGBTQ+ issues, sexual violence, or make sexual references. Among these books banned in the 2023-2024 school year are Jodi Picoult\u2019s\u202fNineteen Minutes<\/em>, John Green\u2019s\u202fLooking for Alaska<\/em>, Margaret Atwood\u2019s\u00a0The Handmaid\u2019s Tale<\/em>, and Khaled Hosseini\u2019s\u00a0The Kite Runner<\/em>.<\/p>\n

PEN International and its Centres urge authorities worldwide to:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n