It took audacity—and cruelty—for Belarus’ president to force a commercial airliner out of the sky to arrest blogger and journalist Raman Pratasevich. Raman’s arrest and subsequent detention not only presents a clear and present danger to the public; it also highlights that exiled writers and dissidents around the world, including even those who thought they'd escaped to safety, now face the extreme threat of being hunted down by waiting captors.

We’re working publicly and behind the scenes demanding Raman’s release—and that governments take steps to fight back against this reckless, rising threat to free expression.

While such abuses of power from autocrats aren’t new, this latest move represents a horrifying escalation of patterns we’ve witnessed in recent years involving authoritarian governments reaching beyond their borders—and now into airspace. It’s a state-sponsored hijacking, meant to silence Raman and intimidate all those who might contemplate speaking out against Belarus’s strongman president, Alexander Lukashenka.

Help us fight back against the brazen threat that Raman’s case represents for journalists, writers, and dissidents. Your support helps us continue fighting on behalf of Raman, and all the imprisoned writers around the world.  

Thank you,

Suzanne Nossel
PEN America CEO

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