Writers at Risk Database
PEN America champions the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. The bedrock work of the global PEN network is advocacy and assistance on behalf of individuals persecuted for their use of the written word or other forms of expression. PEN America’s Writers at Risk Database is a searchable catalog of the writers, journalists, academics, public intellectuals and others under threat around the world. The database includes historical cases PEN America has worked on from 1987 onwards; non-active cases are color-coded black. PEN America is grateful to the John Templeton Foundation for support that enabled the establishment of the Writers at Risk Database and to PEN International for their collaboration in assembling this database.
Filters
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Status
Conditional ReleaseEman Al-Nafjan
Activist, Journalist, Online CommentatorSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaColumnist and activist Al-Nafjan was detained in May 2018 in relation to her women’s rights advocacy as she filmed a female driver breaking the ban. She was later charged with “undermining the kingdom’s stability” among other charges. While in prison, Al-Nafjan was reportedly sexually harassed and severly beaten. In March…
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ReleasedFirew Bekele
ScholarEthiopiaSub-Saharan AfricaUniversity lecturer Bekele was arrested on August 17, 2019 and charged under Ethiopia’s draconian Anti-Terrorism Proclamation in connection with a book he had published criticizing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. He was released on November 19, 2019. Bekele corresponds with PEN America about how to receive emergency funds for writers in…
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Under ThreatGustavo Gorriti
Journalist, Literary writerPeruAmericasA veteran journalist and author of five Peruvian history books, Gorriti has faced multiple instances of harassment dating back to 1992. In February 2023, 30 protestors stood outside his house shouting insults at him, accusing him of speading fake news. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights determined that Gorriti is…
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ReleasedHatoon Al-Fassi
Activist, Journalist, ScholarSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaAl-Fassi is a historian of women’s history, author, columnist, and leading women’s rights activist. On June 27, 2018, Al-Fassi was detained as a part of a crackdown on women’s rights defenders. Authorities provisionally released Al-Fassi on May 2, 2019. She later resumed her scholarly work, publishing on women’s history and…
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DetainedIdris Mohammed Ali
Singer/SongwriterEritreaSub-Saharan AfricaAli, a popular Tigrinya-language singer/songwriter, was arrested in November 2005 without charge. He was detained incommunicado, with no public explanation from the Eritrean government regarding his arrest. Over the years, rumors of his death have circulated widely on social media and various online platforms, though these reports have never been…
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Recorded ThreatItatí Schvartzman
Activist, PoetArgentinaAmericasSchvartzman is a Jewish feminist activist originally from Uruguay who has faced harassment for her writing. In 2018, she received death threats via Facebook. In late 2019 she was the victim of an attempted armed robbery, although is unclear if the incident was related to her activism. No threats against…
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Conditional ReleaseJulian Assange
PublisherUnited KingdomEurope and Central AsiaAssange, publisher of WikiLeaks, was imprisoned in the U.K. in 2019 for violating bail terms. He faced imminent extradition to the U.S. where he has been indicted on multiple charges, including on 17 counts under the Espionage Act, with worrying implications for press freedom. After a lengthy appeal of his…
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Conditional ReleaseLama Ghosheh
Journalist, Online Commentator, ScholarIsrael/Occupied Palestinian TerritoryMiddle East and North AfricaA journalist and online commentator, Ghosheh also worked as a researcher at the Palestinian Museum in Birzeit. She was arrested at her home in August 2022 after sharing social media posts and detained for two weeks. She was released into house arrest on September 13, pending trial proceedings. Ghosheh was…
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DeceasedLi Liqun
Literary writer, Online Commentator, PoetChinaAsia-PacificLi Liqun was an esteemed blogger and writer well-known by his pen name Li Huizi who blogged about fairness and justice and wrote poetry. Li took his own life on July 23, 2021, an act that came after years of being surveilled and harassed by the Chinese Communist Party. Li…
Writers at Risk Database Key:
STATUS box that is red: Active case
STATUS box that is black: Inactive case
Funder
PEN America is deeply grateful to the John Templeton Foundation for its generous support of the Freedom to Write Index and Writers at Risk Database.
Partner
PEN America thanks the PEN International Secretariat and the Writers in Prison Committee for their extensive contributions to and collaboration on compiling the cases included in this database.