Writers at Risk Database

Sevan Nişanyan

Turkish Armenian writer Sevan Nişanyan was imprisoned in 2012 for a blog entry he wrote criticizing government attempts to ban criticism of the Prophet Muhammad. However, in July 2017,… More

Writers at Risk Database

Pınar Selek

A feminist writer, Selek has been prosecuted for over 20 years on false claims related to her involvement in a 1998 explosion in Istanbul. She currently lives in exile… More

Ragıp Zarakolu

Zarakolu is a veteran free expression activist and publisher against book bans, resulting in a catalog of indictments against him dating back to the early 1970s. He has lived… More

Writers at Risk Database

Ekrem Dumanli

The former editor-in-chief of the popular Turkish newspaper Zaman, Dumanli was arrested in December 2014 in a crackdown on journalists associated with the Gülenist movement. Although he was released… More

İnan Altın Grup Yorum

Altın is a member of activist collective and band Grup Yorum. Since the band’s inception, its critical songs have angered the Turkish government and members have faced serious threats.… More

Writers at Risk Database

Aslı Erdoğan

Novelist and occasional columnist for pro-Kurdish Özgür Gündem, Erdoğan was detained after the 2016 coup attempt. Conditionally released four months later, she escaped to Germany. In February 2020, she… More

Writers at Risk Database

Nizar Nayouf

Poet, journalist, and activist Nayouf was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 1992 for his membership in the banned CDF and for his role as editor-in-chief of the… More

Josep Miquel Arenas Beltrán Valtònyc

Josep Miquel Arenas Beltrán Valtònyc

Musician "Valtònyc" was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison for “grave insults to the crown,” “glorification of terrorism and humiliation of its victims,” and “threats,” for… More

Writers at Risk Database

Svetlana Slapšak

Writer and activist Svetlana Slapšak faced physical and legal threats for her human rights work in Serbia. In 1989, she was dismissed from her job, and in 1991 fled… More

Writers at Risk Database

Kirill Serebrennikov

Playwright and theater director Serebrennikov was placed on house arrest in 2017 for embezzlement and convicted in June 2020. The court handed him a three-year suspended sentence and fine… More