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
Abraham Serfaty
Political dissident and editor of the literary magazine Souffles, Serfaty endured 17 years of imprisonment and 13 years of exile for his political views. His Moroccan citizenship was revoked… More
Shahla Lahiji
A pioneering publisher, Lahiji was arrested in 2000 upon her return from a conference. She was charged with spreading anti-state propaganda for criticizing Iran’s policies toward women. She was… More
Siamak Pourzand
Pourzand, former manager of a cultural center and frequent cultural commentator, passed away after falling from his apartment balcony; though it is unclear whether he jumped or was pushed.… More
Pramoedya Ananta Toer
Famous anti-colonial author Pramoedya was imprisoned twice for his writings, first by the Dutch from 1947-1949 and later by the authoritarian Suharto regime from 1965-1979. While in prison, he… More
Raúl Rivero
Rivero was arrested in a 2003 roundup of dissidents known as the Black Spring and sentenced to 20 years in prison. He was released in 2010 after multilateral talks… More
Abdukerim Rahman
Rahman is a renowned academic specializing in Uyghur folklore who has authored over 20 books, including History of Uyghur Culture and Uyghur Folk Literature. Reports indicate that Rahman was… More
Tohti Tunyaz Muzart
A Uyghur historian based in Japan, Tunyaz was arrested in 1998 after analyzing primary sources in Xinjiang for his book The Inside Story of the Silk Road. Imprisoned for… More
Zhang Jianhong Li Hong
Leading dissident writer Zhang spent two years in a labor camp in the late '90s. He was imprisoned again in September 2006 and was denied medical treatment until his… More
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