Ahead of the UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the US, scheduled for November 2025, PEN International and PEN America submitted a report on the violations of the rights to freedom of expression, education, and non-discrimination. The submission documents both state-level and federal actions that contribute to censorship in education: attacks on institutional autonomy, curriculum restrictions, dismantling of DEI programs, and educational gag orders. The report underscores the disproportional impact of such measures on students of color, women, LGBTQI+ persons, people with disabilities, and those from low-income families. (This past August, the Trump administration withdrew its participation in the upcoming UPR.)
PEN America, PEN International. Joint Submission to the United Nations Universal Periodic Review of the United States of America: Rights to Education, Free Expression, Opinion, and Non-Discrimination, PEN America and PEN International, April 2025. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tqppNciDmUJMqRN39_uAdy-4c5GdCrly/view