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WRITERS IN PERIL
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PEN American Center is seriously concerned for the safety of the following imprisoned, persecuted, or attacked writers. We are committed to pressing these cases until the writers are freed, exonerated, and safe from further threat. You can help by sending clear, politely worded messages to the foreign governments involved. Sample letters and all relevant contact information are included with each writer's page.
Click here for the most recent PEN International caselist |
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WRITERS IN PERIL: By Region
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WRITERS IN PERIL: By Last Name
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Syria: Tal Al-Mallouhi
 A high school student, blogger, and poet sentenced on February 14, 2011, to five years in prison for “divulging information to a foreign state” for her blog. >> More
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Uzbekistan: Muhammad Bekjanov
 A journalist sentenced to 15 years in prison for his alleged involvement in the Uzbek opposition movement; Bekjanov suffers from tuberculosis, which he contracted in prison. >> More
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Russia: Stanislav Dmitrievsky
 Executive director of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society and editor-in-chief of Pravo-zashchita, Dmitrievsky is under continuous pressure and harassment by the Russian authorities to halt his human-rights activities. >> More
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China/Tibet Autonomous Region: Dolma Kyab
 A writer and middle-school teacher arrested in Lhasa and sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment for "endangering state security.” >> More
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China: Liu Xiaobo
 A renowned literary critic, writer, and political activist; former President and co-founder of the Independent Chinese PEN Center; sentenced to 11 years in prison and two years' deprivation of political rights for "inciting subversion of state power >> More
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Uzbekistan: Mamadali Mahmudov
 A writer sentenced to 14 years in prison for his alleged involvement in the Uzbek opposition movement; testified to having been tortured under interrogation, including beatings, electric shock, and threat of rape of female family members. >> More
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Vietnam: Nguyen Xuan Nghia
 Poet, journalist, essayist, and novelist serving a six-year sentence for poetry, short stories, and articles he wrote in 2007 until his arrest in 2008. >> More
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China: Shi Tao
 Journalist and poet arrested for posting meeting notes about China's treatment of the 15th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, Shi is serving a 10-year prison sentence. >> More
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Iran: Nasrin Sotoudeh
 A prominent writer, human rights lawyer, and activist, sentenced to a total of 11 years in prison—one year for “spreading lies against the state,” five years for “acting against national security,” and another five years for “cooperating with the Center for Human Rights Defenders.”
>> More
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Myanmar: Aung Than & Zeya Aung
 Two poets who were arrested near the Thai-Burmese border town of Myawaddy and charged with “associating with outlawed organizations” and “illegally crossing an international boundary.” >> More
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China: Tsering Woeser
 Acclaimed Tibetan writer and poet whose critical writings on China's policy towards Tibet have led to severe restrictions on her ability to write and publish in mainland China, where she is under house arrest. >> More
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China: Yang Tongyan
 Dissident writer serving a 12-year sentence on charges of "subversion of state power." >> More
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China/Uighur Autonomous Region: Nurmuhemmet Yasin
 An award-winning freelance Uighur writer known for his numerous short stories, essays, and three volumes of poetry; arrested for writing the short story "Wild Pigeon" ("Yawa Kepter") and sentenced to 10 years in prison. >> More
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Turkey: Ragip Zarakolu
 Writer and publisher who founded Belge Publishing House, arrested on October 28, 2011, and indicted on March 19, 2012, on charges of "aiding and abetting an illegal organization" under Turkey's sweeping anti-terror laws. Zarakolu could face 15 years in prison if convicted. >> More
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Eritrea: Multiple Journalists
 Members of the Eritrean independent press arrested in the aftermath of the closure of eight private newspapers on September 18, 2001; all continue to be imprisoned without charge. >> More
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IN MEMORIAM
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 China: Zhang Jianhong
PEN mourns the loss of Independent Chinese PEN Center member Zhang Jianhong, who passed away from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) on December 31, 2010. >> More
Tu rkey: Hrant Dink
PEN is appalled by the murder of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink, who was shot dead outside his office in Istanbul on January 19, 2007. >> More
 Tunisia: Zouhair Yahyaoui
PEN mourns the passing of Zouhair Yahyaoui. According to his family, he died of a heart attack on March 13, 2005. >> More
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RELEASED WRITERS
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The following Honorary Members were released from prison, but may still be suffering persecution. In some cases, the writers have gone into exile, but could face grave consequences if they ever return to their home countries. Others remain subject to government harassment in the exercise of their professions as writers.
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Myanmar (Burma): Zaw Thet Htwe
 Respected journalist and political advocate, arrested June 13, 2008, for his work on Cyclone Nargis. >> More
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Myanmar (Burma): Nay Phone Latt
 Prominent Burmese blogger and political dissident arrested January 29, 2008, for reporting on the military crackdown in Burma in 2007. >> More
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China: Huang Jinqiu
 An Internet journalist sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment and four years' deprivation of political rights for “organizing, planning, and carrying out subversive activities” and for writing “reactionary” articles on the Internet. >> More
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Myanmar (Burma): Zargana
 Burmese poet, opposition activist, and leading comedian arrested June 4, 2008, and recently was among the first released as part of a widespread general amnesty on October 12, 2011. >> More
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Uzbekistan: Dzamshid Karimov
 A journalist who has covered human-rights abuses and written articles critical of government, Karimov has been held in psychiatric detention for over a year. >> More
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Vietnam: Tran Khai Thanh Thuy
 Renowned novelist, poet, and essayist recently exiled to the United States and forced to leave behind her husband as well as all her personal items, including poetry written in prison. >> More
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Myanmar (Burma): Aung San Suu Kyi
 Writer and pro-democracy activist, winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, first detained in July 1989, Aung San Suu Kyi has remained under some form of detention, usually house arrest, for the majority of the past 20 years. >> More
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Egypt: Kareem Amer
 A blogger and a former al-Azhyar University student sentenced to four years in prison in 2007 on charges of "disparaging Islam" and "defaming the Egyptian president" in online articles. >> More
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Cuba: Normando Hernández González
 A journalist sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment under Article 91 of the Cuban Criminal Code for reporting on the conditions of state-run services in Cuba and criticizing government management of tourism, agriculture, fishing, and cultural affairs. >> More
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Cuba: Dr. José Luis García Paneque
 An independent journalist, librarian, and medical doctor who was arrested in 2003 as part of a crackdown throughout Cuba on independent presses and alleged dissidents. >> More
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Cuba: Léster Luis González Pentón
 A journalist and political activist who co-founded El Movimiento por la Democracia and the Alfa 3 Movement, he is being held at the Prisión Penitencial “La Pendiente,” in Santa Clara in the state of Villa Clara, Cuba. >> More
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China/Uighur Autonomous Region: Tohti Tunyaz
 Ethnic Uighur historian and writer condemned to 11 years in prison with an additional two years' deprivation of political rights for researching his people's history. >> More
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Myanmar (Burma): Saw Wei
 Burmese poet and performance artist well known for his romantic poetry, arrested January 2, 2008, who was jailed for nearly two and a half years for his subtly-critical poem "Valentine's Day." >> More
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Russia: Stanislav Dmitrievsky
Executive director of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society and editor-in-chief of Pravo-zashchita, Dmitrievsky is under continuous pressure and harassment by the Russian authorities to halt his human-rights activities. >> More
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Tibet Autonomous Region: Ven. Ngawang Phulchung
 Tibetan monk, human-rights activist, and leader of the Drepung printing group sentenced to 19 years' imprisonment for promoting a democratic system in an independent Tibet. >> More
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Tunisia: Mohammed Abbou
 An Internet writer, lawyer, and human-rights activist, arrested on March 1, 2005, for an article published on the Internet nine months earlier that denounced torture in Tunisia. >> More
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Saudi Arabia: Ali Al-Domaini
 A poet, writer, and political activist whose publications include three collections of poetry and one novel in Arabic. >> More
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Cuba: Bernardo Arévalo Padrón
 A journalist and director of Linea Sur Press, a small privately run independent press agency in Cienfuegos. >> More
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Algeria: Mohammed Benchicou
 The former director of Le Matin, a private daily newspaper that maintained an independent, critical editorial line toward the Algerian government. >> More
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Vietnam: Nguyen Vu Binh
 A former journalist for the Communist Party newspaper Tap Chi Cong, he was one of Vietnam's first cyberdissidents who spread his pro-democracy message over the Internet. >> More
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Syria: Aref Dalila
 A Syrian writer and former professor who served seven years in prison after being arrested with nine other members of the Civil Society Movement during the Damascus Spring. He was released on August 7, 2008. >> More
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Iran: Hojjatoleslam Hasan Yousefi Eshkevari
 A researcher, journalist, cleric, director of the Ali Shariati Research Center, and contributing editor of the now-banned newspaper Iran-e Farda (The Iran of Tomorrow). >> More
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Iran: Akbar Ganji
 Iran's leading investigative journalist and author of the best-selling book Dungeon of Ghosts, a collection of Ganji's newspaper articles published in early 2000. >> More
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Iran: Ramin Jahanbegloo
 The author of over 20 books in Persian, English, and French on philosophy and current affairs in Iran. >> More
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China: Liu Jingsheng
 A peaceful opposition activist and a former co-editor of Tansuo (Explorations), a journal he founded in the late 1970s along with Wei Jingsheng. >> More
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Syria: Michel Kilo
 A writer and journalist serving a three-year prison sentence on charges of “spreading false news, weakening national feeling and inciting sectarian sentiments.” >> More
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Myanmar: Aung Myint
 A journalist, poet, and head of the information department of the National League for Democracy (NLD). >> More
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Iran: Siamak Pourzand
 A journalist and film critic who was sentenced to 11 years in prison on charges of "undermining state security through his links with monarchists and counterrevolutionaries." >> More
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Vietnam: Lê Chi Quang
 A lawyer and computer teacher who has written several essays criticizing the Vietnamese government. >> More
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Cuba: Raúl Rivero
 Among the first generation of journalists trained at Havana University's School of Journalism after the 1959 revolution, and co-founder of the satirical magazine Caimán Barbudo. >> More
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Uzbekistan: Ruslan Sharipov
 A correspondent for the Russian press agency Prima and president of the Independent Journalists Association of Uzbekistan. >> More
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Iran: Nasser Zarafshan
 Author, translator, and attorney sentenced to five years’ imprisonment and 70 lashes for his criticism of the official investigation carried out into the murders of five Iranian intellectuals and writers in 1998 in Tehran. >> More
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