The Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of International PEN was set up in 1960 in response to mounting concern about the increasing attempts to silence voices of dissent by imprisoning writers. The Committee’s mandate does not include work on behalf of prisoners who have used or advocated violence or hatred.

PEN Canada works on a caseload of approximately 25 Honorary Members on whose behalf the WiPC campaigns. The advocacy primarily takes the form of representations before governments and the United Nations. However, other methods are incorporated including:

• The Rapid Action Network, an e-network with members across Canada who send out weekly appeals on urgent cases
• The Minders program, in which members of PEN Canada may elect to take on an Honorary Member as a minder for that writer, communicating with them, their families and government officials
• Campaigns that focus on either a specific issue, such as impunity or on a specific country in which we have Honorary Members. Examples include PEN's campaign against the unpunished murder of writers and journalists internationally, focused advocacy on Iran as well as an annual commemoration of November 15, International PEN's Day of the Imprisoned Writer