This is why we do what we do

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Dear Friend,

I awoke early this morning to the news that journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov will receive the Nobel Peace Prize. It is the very first time in history that the Nobel Committee has so explicitly recognized the global freedom to write and those who risk their freedom and safety to uphold it. Like so many journalists and writers whom PEN America defends, Maria and Dmitry put their lives and the lives of their families on the line every day to unmask truths, uplift facts, and hold the powerful to account. Both have exposed corruption and graft—and for that work they have been threatened, harassed, and maligned.

There can be no greater validation of the work that we do to defend free expression and the writers who risk everything to uphold it. Please help us continue to do that work. ([link removed])

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Courage is a word that we don’t use lightly. This week, as we marked the 15th anniversary of the murder of Dmitry’s colleague Anna Politkovskaya, we are reminded of the extraordinary courage it takes to insist on transparency in the face of encroaching global authoritarianism. To be a journalist in Russia, the Philippines, and a growing number of other countries is to place one’s life in unmitigated peril.

The long arm of authoritarianism reaching across borders and even into free societies means that no matter where they go, those who seek to do them harm may be hiding in the shadows. Safe harbor is difficult to come by, and yet Maria and Dmitry know that without the work they and countless others do, darkness would settle with corruption and brutality shrouded in impenetrable secrecy. We’re proud to see Dmitry and Maria recognized for their peerless work in defending the freedom to write. It's why we do what we do—and why your support is so critical. ([link removed])

In solidarity,

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Suzanne Nossel
PEN America CEO

PS -- Maria and Dmitry are heroes. Join us in defending them and those like them around the world. ([link removed])
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