Emad Hajjaj

Hajjaj, a Jordanian-Palestinian cartoonist, was arrested by Jordanian authorities over a cartoon mocking the Israel–United Arab Emirates deal on August 26, 2020. On August 30, he was released on… More

Writers at Risk Database

Mehdi Rajabian

Rajabian was imprisoned in 2016 after co-founding a music sharing website with his brother. They were released in 2017, but Rajabian was re-arrested in 2020 for publishing clips of… More

Saleh Al-Shehi

In January 2018, Al-Shehi, a noted anti-corruption columnist critical of the government, was sentenced to 5 years in prison for “insulting the royal court.” He was released from prison… More

Atef Abu Saif

Atef Abu Saif

Palestinian author, columnist, and political figure Atef Abu Saif has reportedly been routinely detained by Hamas forces in Gaza. On March 18, 2019, he was beaten by unidentified assailants.… More

Abdullah Abu Sharkh

Writer Abdullah Mohammed Abu Sharkh was detained by Hamas forces on March 13, 2020 and interrogated about social media posts in which he had criticized the Hamas authorities. Charged… More

Writers at Risk Database

Loujain Al-Hathloul

Al-Hathloul, a women's rights advocate, was detained in a sweep of arrests in May 2018 and held for 1,000 days in prison, during which time she was reportedly tortured… More

Writers at Risk Database

Ahdaf Soueif

A prominent novelist, Soueif was arrested on March 18, 2020 for protesting for the release of Egyptians left vulnerable to coronavirus in overcrowded prisons and faced charges of “illegal… More

Ahmed Mansoor

Mansoor was sentenced to ten years in prison and heavily fined in 2018 after being found guilty of defamation and "spreading false information online." He has gone on at… More

Tayseer Al-Najjar

On December 13, 2015, Al-Najjar, a Jordanian national, was arrested by authorities for a Facebook post in which he criticized Israel and the UAE. He served nearly four years… More

Mohammed Al-Roken

Mohammed Al-Roken

Al-Roken, a lawyer and human rights advocate who has represented numerous other activists, was tried along with 93 other defendants for anti-state activity and sentenced to ten years in… More