Imprisoned Journalist Pham Doan Trang Receives PEN America’s Freedom to Write Award

Pham Doan Trang, 45, is serving a nine-year prison sentence for allegedly “distributing anti-state” information. She will receive PEN America’s Barbey Freedom to Write Award, given to an incarcerated writer of conscience annually. Trang is a prolific journalist who writes and advocates for democracy, human rights, and civil participation in Vietnam. She has received international recognition and multiple awards from human rights advocacy groups such as PEN, Amnesty International, and Reporters Without Borders.

In a statement, PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel acknowledged Pham Doan Trang’s resilience and contributions to promoting democracy in Vietnam. “She has sacrificed her health and freedom in the pursuit of justice,” Nossel writes in PEN America’s press release that declares Trang a recipient of this year’s award. “Despite the government’s crackdown on dissent and activism, her powerful words continue to inspire people across Vietnam and throughout the world.”