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
Ruslan Sharipov
Sharipov was detained in 2001 after publishing a series of articles challenging the government. In 2002, he was beaten three times, and, in 2003, was arrested on suspicion of… More
Mamadali Mahmudov
Mahmudov was released in 2013 after serving 14 years in prison on charges of “threats” to the president and the constitutional order. A supporter of the opposition Erk party,… More
Ayşe Nur Zarakolu
Founder of the Freedom to Publish Commission, Zarakolu was a pioneering female figure in Türkiye's literary world. A political essayist herself, she was arrested over 30 times for her… More
Doğan Akhanli
A writer specializing in genocide studies, Akhanli has been arrested and imprisoned several times for his work on the Armenian Genocide. In 1991, he fled Türkiye for Germany where,… More
Rakhim Esenov
In February 2004, Esenov was charged with “inciting social, national, and religious hatred using the mass media” for statements made by characters in his novel, Ventsenosny Skitalets (The Crowned… More
Michel Kilo
In 2006, Kilo was arrested after signing a declaration in support of diplomatic relations between Syria and Lebanon. He was sentenced to three years in prison for spreading false… More
Zouhair Yahyaoui Ettounsi
Founder of TUNeZINE.com Yahyaoui was arrested in a cybercafe on charges of 'false news' and unauthorized use of the internet in June 2000. Having served half his sentence, he… More
Ali Al-Domaini
Pro-democracy activist Al-Domaini was arrested in March 2004 for criticizing Saudi Arabia's National Commission of Human Rights and planning to set up his own organization. In August 2005, he… More
Matsemela Manaka
Manaka was an artist, poet, and playwright who was honored with the first PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award in 1987, and funded a playwright workshop for young authors… More
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