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 His Moroccan citizenship was revoked… More
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
Abraham Serfaty | Status: Deceased | Morocco
Abraham Serfaty is an editor and political activist, jailed for his writing and political activities while he advocated for the independence of Morocco. His voice and work toward liberation… More
Nguyen Chi Thien | Status: Deceased | Vietnam
Vietnamese poet Nguyen Chi Thien spent almost 27 years in prison for his "politically irreverent poems" between 1960 and 1991. In 1989 he received the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to… More
Pramoedya Ananta Toer | Status: Deceased | Indonesia
Pramoedya Ananta Toer (1925–2006) was the author of novels that chronicled much of that Southeast Asian country's turbulent history. Passing away in 2006, he leaves behind a legacy of… More
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