Today marks the one-year anniversary of the attack on Charlie Hebdo that claimed twelve innocent lives. That morning, when we were jolted awake by news of an attack in central Paris, feels like a long time ago; subsequent events in Bangladesh and Denmark, among others, make it hard to remember how surprising and unprecedented that murderous assult seemed just 12 months ago.

In solidarity with so many writers, cartoonists, and artists prepared to pay with their lives for the privilege of exercising their freedom, PEN enters the new year resolved and ready to defend free speech wherever it is threatened. With your help, we hope the new year will bring new hope to writers at home and abroad as we stand together to affirm that no act of expression, no matter how offensive, can justify violence.

PEN America

PEN International