Faraj Ahmad Birqdar | Status: Released | Syria
Syrian poet Faraj Ahmad Birqdar spent over 13 years in jail from 1987 to 2000 due to his work on behalf of free expression and non-violent political action. He… More
Zoran Mutić | Status: Displaced/In Exile | Bosnia and Herzegovina
Translator Zoran Mutić fled Sarajevo during the Balkan Wars of the 1990s, just before the siege in 1992. He was a recipient of the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award in… More
Svetlana Slapšak | Status: Displaced/In Exile | Serbia
Svetlana Slapsak, a Serb from Belgrade, is the author of the hugely popular novel Leon and Leonine. Slapsak has written articles criticizing Serbian nationalism and decrying injustices perpetrated by… More
Martha Kumsa | Status: Released | Ethiopia
Ethiopian writer and journalist Martha Kumsa was released from prison after several years of detention without charge or trial a few months after she received the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom… More
Maina wa Kinyatti | Status: Released | Kenya
Kenyan writer and historian Maina wa Kinyatti was released on October 17, 1988, after serving six and a half years in prison, and fled to Tanzania fearing rearrest. After… More
Godwin Agbroko | Status: Murdered | Nigeria
Godwin Agbroko, editorial board chairman of the private daily This Day, was arrested on two separate occasions in 1995, and again in 1996, when he spent several months in… More
Abraham Serfaty | Status: Deceased | Morocco
Abraham Serfaty is an editor and political activist, jailed for his writing and political activities while he advocated for the independence of Morocco. His voice and work toward liberation… More
Doan Viet Hoat | Status: Displaced/In Exile | Vietnam
Doan Viet Hoat, founder of Freedom Forum, is an advocate of free speech and the release of all political prisoners. Doan was arrested in 1990 for allegedly attempting to… More
Thiagarajah Selvanithy (“Selvi”) | Status: Murdered | Sri Lanka
Founder of the feminist journal Tholi and a gifted young poet, Thiagarajah Selvanithy was arrested by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, or Tamil Tigers) on August 30,… More
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