Li Guibao Fat Pig Full Circle Lao Li
After criticizing the government for its handling of COVID-19, playwright and blogger Li was detained in April 2020 and was later sentenced to one year in prison for “picking… More
João Paulo Cuenca
In response to a satirical tweet involving President Jair Bolsonaro, writer and filmmaker Cuenca has faced over 140 targeted and costly lawsuits from state officials and religious leaders, demanding… More
Tsitsi Dangarembga
Noted author Dangarembga was arrested for taking part in anti-corruption protests in July 2020 and was released on bail the next day. She appeared at least 25 times in… More
Eşber Yağmurdereli
Blind human rights activist Yağmurdereli has spent nearly 20 years in prison on various charges related to comments about Türkiye's human rights abuses. Most recently, he was arrested in… More
Ekrem Dumanli
The former editor-in-chief of the popular Turkish newspaper Zaman, Dumanli was arrested in December 2014 in a crackdown on journalists associated with the Gülenist movement. Although he was released… More
Malaka Dewapriya
Playwright and filmmaker Dewapriya was reportedly interrogated by police for four hours in October 2019 after a Buddhist monk accused him of distorting Buddhist terminology in his radio series… More
Zaki Cordillo
Playwright and key figure in the Puppet Theatre, Cordillo was arrested with his son in Damascus on August 11, 2012. He is reportedly detained for his writing on Syria,… More
Adnan Zarra’ai
Playwright and scriptwriter Zarra’ai was arrested in February 2012 and was detained incommunicado in the State Security Detention Centre in Damascus. His rib was reportedly broken by torture.… More
Warsame Shire Awale
Poet, playwright, radio actor, and singer-songwriter Awale was shot near his house in Mogadishu in October 2012. He had received threats for comments he made about gunmen targeting civilians,… More
Matsemela Manaka
Manaka was an artist, poet, and playwright who was honored with the first PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award in 1987, and funded a playwright workshop for young authors… More
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