Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh (Mother Mushroom) | Status: Released | Vietnam
Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, better known as “Mother Mushroom,” is a prominent independent blogger, whose blog addresses social concerns in Vietnam. More
Dareen Tatour | Status: Released | Israel/Palestine
Poet Dareen Tatour, a Palestinian citizen of Israel who has spent more than two years in jail or under house arrest since October 2015, was convicted on May 3,… More
Ahmed Naji | Status: Released | Egypt
Ahmed Naji was temporarily released from prison in Egypt on December 22, 2016, after his two-year prison sentence for “violating public modesty” was suspended by an appeals court on… More
Joshua Wong, Alex Chow, and Nathan Law | Status: Released | Hong Kong
Joshua Wong, Alex Chow, and Nathan Law are three prominent student activists who played a leading role in the 2014 Occupy Central Movement in Hong Kong. More
Faraj Ahmad Birqdar | Status: Released | Syria
Syrian poet Faraj Ahmad Birqdar spent over 13 years in jail from 1987 to 2000 due to his work on behalf of free expression and non-violent political action. He… More
Martha Kumsa | Status: Released | Ethiopia
Ethiopian writer and journalist Martha Kumsa was released from prison after several years of detention without charge or trial a few months after she received the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom… More
Maina wa Kinyatti | Status: Released | Kenya
Kenyan writer and historian Maina wa Kinyatti was released on October 17, 1988, after serving six and a half years in prison, and fled to Tanzania fearing rearrest. After… More
Doan Viet Hoat | Status: Released | Vietnam
Doan Viet Hoat, founder of Freedom Forum, is an advocate of free speech and the release of all political prisoners. Doan was arrested in 1990 for allegedly attempting to… More
Alert Us
Are you an artist at risk or know someone who is?
PEN America On 
For lovers of Layli Long Solider and Claudia Rankine, we recommend books by @Danez_Smif, @TianaClarkPoet, @morganapple, and more: https://t.co/ZjuhZpa8Zs
“Clark offers a study into the simultaneous dissolution and unification that comes with inhabiting a body which is both historical and personal.”
Thank you, @PENamerican, for recommending my book for this incredible reading list chock full of my favorite permission-giving poets! https://t.co/NjEnDDAZ57
Dolly Parton announced that her charity @dollyslibrary, which gives free books to children, will be expanding to a fifth country. https://t.co/3Ur8qg1w4o