Nazli Ilıcak
In 2018, columnist Ilıcak was given a life sentence for “attempting to overthrow the constitutional order” and terrorism. Her verdict was later overturned and she was released. In December… More
Shakthika Sathkumara
Sathkumara was detained for four months in 2019 for his short story “Ardha," under claims that it promoted religious hatred and insult for its indirect references to homosexuality within… More
Yasir Elsir Ali
Human rights defender Ali was shot by a sniper while at a December 2018 protest in Khartoum. The bullet punctured his lung and is resting in his spinal cord.… More
Nadhir Al-Majid
Al-Majid was arrested and sentenced to seven years in prison in January 2017 in connection with an opinion piece he wrote in 2011 titled “I protest, therefore I am,”… More
Marwan Almuraisy
Almuraisy was arrested and forcibly disappeared in June 2018. Though he was a prominent figure on social media, his disappearance puzzled observers because he was not involved in political… More
Abdirahman Ibrahim Adan Abdirahman Abees
Adan, a poet in Somaliland, was arrested on January 12, 2019 after publicly reciting a poem the previous day in which he called on the Somaliland government to reform… More
Moqbel Al-Saqqar
A novelist noted for his support of women's rights, Al-Saqqar was arrested in the April 2019 crackdown on writers and journalists in Saudi Arabia. He was detained without access… More
Zana Al-Shahri
Female journalist and writer Al-Shahri was detained as part of a wave of arrests by Saudi authorities in November 2019. She was released in early December. More
Essam Al-Zamil
A well-known economist, Al-Zamil was detained in September 2017 for his writing criticizing Aramco, the Saudi national oil company, and its inflated valuation on the stock market. He reportedly… More
Adel Banaima
Banaima, a lecturer at the University of Umm Al-Qura in Mecca and editor-in-chief of Jusoor Magazine, was arrested and detained without charge in September 2017. Information about his status… More