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To preserve freedom of expression at home & protect writers abroad.
1. Demand an end to government surveillance of bookstore and library records
Despite efforts to correct the excesses of the Patriot Act and new revelations that the FBI is misusing Patriot Act powers, the government can still access your bookstore and library records even if you are not suspected of terrorism or any criminal activity.
Write your U.S. Senators and Representative urging them to reform the records and National Security Letters provisions of the Patriot Act and related legislation.
Contact information for your elected representatives: www.senate.gov and www.house.gov
2. Support a Federal Shield Law to Protect Journalists
More and more reporters are facing prosecution and jail time for protecting confidential sources. Government officials have threatened to try journalists who report on illegal government programs for espionage. It is time for Congress to extend the reporter’s shield protections in effect in 31 states to the federal level.
Write your U.S. Senators and Representative urging them to support The Free Flow of Information Act of 2007, S. 2035 in the Senate and H.R. 2102 in the House.
3. Help Restore the Most Basic Human Rights
Our failure to abide by international laws prohibiting torture and arbitrary detention is damaging the image and credibility of the United States and compounding the dangers dissident writers face around the world.
Write your U.S. Senators and Representative demanding that they co-sponsor the Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007, S. 576 in the Senate and H.R. 1415 in the House.
4. Press U.S. Internet Providers to Preserve Free Expression on the Internet
Around the globe, brave women and men are defying internet censorship in their countries to provide critical information to their compatriots and the world. But many have been jailed, including Shi Tao, a Chinese poet and journalist who was prosecuted after Yahoo! provided Chinese authorities with his account information.
Urge your U.S. Representative to support the Global Online Freedom Act of 2007, a bill prohibiting U.S. internet providers from helping authoritarian governments censor or monitor the Internet.
5. Join PEN.
To learn more about PEN's free expression work, listen to Freedom to Write? Our Obligation to Protect Free Expression, a PEN panel.
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