PEN New England: Advancing the cause of literature and reading in New England and defending free expression everywhere.
  • PEN New England
  • Lesley University
  • 29 Everett St.
  • Cambridge, MA 02138
  • 617.349.8113
  • pen-ne@lesley.edu

Vasyl Stus Award

The Vasyl Stus Freedom to Write Award recognizes a writer persecuted for the peaceful expression of his or her views and whose courage in the face of censorship and oppression is exemplary.  The award is named in honor of Vasyl Stus, the leading Ukrainian poet of his generation and the last poet to die in a Soviet gulag.  The most recent recipient is Nurmuhemmet Yasin, a prize-winning freelance Uighur writer who is known for his short stories, essays, and three volumes of poetry: First Love, Crying From the Heart and Come on Children. His satirical story "Wild Pigeon" was considered by Chinese authorities to be a criticism of their government's presence in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.  After a closed trial in 2005, at which he was denied a lawyer, Yasin was sentenced by the court to 10 years in prison.

To read an op-ed written by PEN New England Chair Richard Hoffman on Yasin, please click here.

.

Nurmuhemet Yasin

Nurmuhemmet Yasin, 2009 winner of the Vasyl Stus Award