Chen Wei

Chen was detained in 2011 for essays in which he supported a civil society and criticized the Chinese political system. In February 2020, Chen was released upon completion of… More

Chen Xi Chen Youcai

On December 26, 2011, Chen was sentenced to 10 years in prison at a trial that lasted less than three hours for “inciting subversion of state power.” His conviction… More

Dong Rubin Bianmin

After posting critical comments against Chinese authorities about alleged corruption, Dong was sentenced to six and a half years in prison in July 2014. Dong had predicted his arrest,… More

Writers at Risk Database

Guo Quan

Guo was released from prison in 2018 after serving a 10-year sentence for a series of articles titled “Herald of Democracy.” He was re-detained in February 2020 on charges… More

Gaston Philippe Abe Abe

Gaston Philippe Abe Abe Valsero

Abe Abe, known by his stage name Valsero, was arrested at a demonstration in Yaoundé and spent almost nine months in prison on trumped up charges, including terrorism. He… More

Tsi Conrad

Conrad, a photojournalist, was beaten and arrested at gunpoint in 2016 while filming a rally at which police killed four protesters. For disseminating the footage, Conrad was sentenced to… More

Writers at Risk Database

Gui Minhai

A Swedish citizen, Gui was one of five Hong Kong booksellers to disappear in 2015 and resurface in Chinese custody. While the others have been released, Gui spent years… More

Writers at Risk Database

Nurmuhemmet Yasin

Award-winning Uyghur author and poet Yasin was imprisoned in February 2005 on charges of 'inciting separatism' for his poem "Wild Pigeon," an allegory about the son of a pigeon… More

Zhao Baahuu Soliyoot Shulegchin, or Cao Yuan Nu Huo

Zhao was released from detention but remains confined to house arrest as of October 2019 after publishing poems entitled “Dark Night Journey” and “Mongolian Grassland” that criticized China’s treatment… More

Chen Jieren

In retribution for his blog posts discussing fraud and corruption committed by a local party official and other government criticism, Chen Jieren was held in criminal detention for retaliatory… More