Abdullah Atefi

Abdullah Atefi, a historian, writer, and poet, was a public figure whose extensive body of work focused on Pashtun culture and literature. Atefi was taken from his home in… More

Abdennour Abdesselam

An ethnic minority rights advocate, Abdesselam was arrested on September 13, 2021 on charges of “belonging to a terrorist organization,” and was accused of being connected to the Movement… More

Maung Thar Cho

Writer and history professor Maung Thar Cho was blindfolded and taken by the military in the early hours of the February 2021 coup, alongside other notable cultural figures. He… More

Alireza Nouri

Nouri, a member of the Iranian Writers' Association, was sentenced to two years imprisonment on the charge of “blasphemy through writing offensive poetry online” in 2017. While his prison… More

Go Sherab Gyatso Gosher

Author of the book We Need to Wake Up and several articles on restrictions to Tibetans’ freedom of expression, Gyatso was taken into custody on October 26, 2020 by… More

Said Djabelkhir

Said Djabelkhir

Scholar Djabelkhir was—without notice—charged with “offending the precepts of Islam” after writing 3 Facebook posts of “academic reflections” on the Quran and Islamic traditions in 2020. In April 2021,… More

Katsiaryna Andreyeva

Reporter Andreyeva was detained on November 15, 2020 for “organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order,” after reporting on a protest in Minsk. On February 18, 2021,… More

Writers at Risk Database

Jordi Cuixart

Cuixart is a Catalan poet who advocates for the region’s independence. In October 2019, Cuixart, already detained, received a nine-year prison sentence and ban on holding office for sedition.… More

Writers at Risk Database

Jordi Sànchez

Sànchez is a Catalan writer who advocates for the region’s independence. In October 2019, Sànchez, already detained, received a nine-year prison sentence and a ban on holding office for… More

Writers at Risk Database

Nasrin Sotoudeh

A human rights lawyer and prominent voice of conscience, Sotoudeh was briefly rearrested and beaten in October 2023 while attending a funeral of a slain teenage girl. She had… More