Nedim Türfent

Kurdish reporter and poet Türfent was arrested in May 2016 and sentenced to 8 years in prison on terrorism charges. During pretrial interrogations, he was tortured and forced to… More

İlhan Sami Çomak

Kurdish poet Çomak was arrested in 1994 and sentenced to life in prison for membership in the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party. While in prison, he has published eight books… More

Ayşe Düzkan

On June 11, 2019, Düzkan was released after serving 18 months in Bakırköy prison in Istanbul. She was originally imprisoned in January 2018 on terrorism charges for her work… More

Writers at Risk Database

Stella Nyanzi

Dr. Nyanzi was imprisoned on cybercrime charges in 2018 for writing a poem she posted online using President Museveni’s birth as a metaphor to criticize his repressive rule. She… More

Writers at Risk Database

Robert Kyagulanyi Bobi Wine

Musician Bobi Wine has galvanized a generation of Ugandans to seek new leadership. He has opposed President Museveni's policies and has been barred from performing his music. He is… More

Writers at Risk Database

Selahattin Demirtaş

Writer and leader of the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party, Demirtaş has been jailed since 2016 despite his detention being ruled unconstitutional and the ECHR ordering his release. In March… More

Gültekin Avcı

Avcı, a former columnist at shuttered newspaper Bugün, was arrested following the failed July 2016 coup. His trial was merged with a separate trial where defendants were accused of… More

Fikret Başkaya

Başkaya, an academic and author of several books on topics including socialism, politics, and corruption in Türkiye, was arrested in November 2017 on the basis of an article he… More

Writers at Risk Database

Hanım Büşra Erdal

Reporter and columnist Erdal was detained in a sweep of journalists writing for Zaman, a newspaper forced to close after the failed 2016 coup, and sentenced on terrorism charges.… More

Mustafa Erkan Acar

Acar, an author and editor for Zaman, a newspaper forced to close after the failed 2016 coup, was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison in 2018 after a mass… More