Free Word (Vapaa sana) is an online writing series published by Finnish PEN. We publish poetry, prose, essays and articles mainly by our members but also texts written by writers whose freedom of expression is endangered. Free Word is also a platform for texts discussing timely freedom of expression topics. If you wish your text to be published in the series send it to info@suomenpen.fi. For the full series, click: https://www.suomenpen.fi/en/category/vapaa-sana/.
Free Word
Siarhej Budkin: 35 000 shots in 10 months
Shot 1 The border between two countries. A plot of land in the borderland is well ploughed to see whether...
Ak Welsapar: Love in Lilac
A novella The sun rose higher and in the lilac garden everything was painfully familiar. Arslan had only to close...
Kianoush Ramezani: Freedom after Expression: a new challenge
In 2006, I was invited to give a speech about Muhammad Cartoons and freedom of speech, at the Central European...
Ale Díaz: My Odyssey in the Migration System
My name is Alejandro Díaz Ortiz, I am a Puerto Rican artist, musician, songwriter, graphic designer and a filmmaker who...
Claudia Morales: Erlin Mejía – Walking the refugee’s destiny
Erlin Armando Mejia Andino landed in Sweden three years ago, he is a 25 years old Honduran-born human rights activist...
Joonas Maristo: Sananvapaus ja vastuu – tutkijan paikka vapaana?
Koronakriisi on opettanut meille ainakin kaksi asiaa. Ensinnäkin, maailma voi muuttua ja sitä voidaan muuttaa hyvin nopeasti. Toiseksi, kriisin vaikutukset...
Judyth Hill: The Hand That Holds the Pen Can Rock the World
I believe in Writers. Because we can speak softly and loudly and not carry a big stick. Because we can...
Yaseen Ghaleb: Cc: NO BODY
Cc: NO BODY 2020, Yaseen Ghaleb 1 Have you heard the voice of rose? Open your glass ears, release your...
Tom Dodd: The UK is committed to promoting the rights of LGBT people
The UK is widely recognised as a global champion of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) rights. We are committed...
Veera Tyhtilä: Sananvapaus ja oikeistopopulismi
Niihin aikoihin, yli vuosikymmen sitten, keskustelin erään tuttavaporukan kanssa usein libertarismista. Erityisesti oikeistolibertarismista, eli ideologiasta, joka kannattaa henkilökohtaista ja taloudellista...
Shashank Mane: From India to Finland: A PEN Legacy
Freedom of speech is a first amendment in the constitution of the United States of America. As an Indian-American living...
Mojibur Doftori: Gandhi’s East-West Synthesis and Its Relevance in the 21st Century
Why Gandhi? At the end of 2018, we have been witnessing a global trend of the rise of illiberal democracy....
Galal El-Behairy: Statement
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, My friends, it is with great sorrow that I...
Çiler İlhan: You killed / Öldürdünüz
You Killed You killed my mother. You killed my father: My uncles and my aunts. You killed my grandmother and...
Jamshid Barzgar: Border Guard’s Question
Border Guard’s Question Jamshid Barzgar What is the name of that bird? The one resembling a song on a...
Mojibur Doftori: Strengthening Universal Liberal Democratic Values: What the World Can Learn from India and Nordic Countries?
Fhe results of the 2016 U.S. presidential elections came as a shock to many people across the world. Donald Trump,...
Ahmed Zaidan: A Poet Sings for Life in Midst of Death…
…from the Dark Cellar, He Narrates His Story Umar Abdul-Nasser is an Iraqi poet from the city of Mosul northern...
Nasiba Hilal: A Day in the Life of an Ordinary Woman
She hears successive knocks on the door, and sounds of screams from the stree. She has just finished her prayer,...
Mojibur Doftori: International Mother Language Day
International Mother Language Day first initiated by UNESCO in 1999, has been observed throughout the world on February 21 every...
Mojibur Doftori: Global Islamic Extremism: Time for Muslims to Break Silence
Global Islamic Extremism: Time for Muslims to Break Silence In recent time, horrific atrocities on innocent people around the world...