Mona Borzouei

Borzouei was arrested and taken into state custody on September 28, 2022, a week after posting a video of herself reciting a poem in support of the Mahsa Amini… More

Behrouz Yasemi

On October 17, 2022, Yasemi, a Kurdish poet from Ivangharb, was arrested shortly after posting a video in which he recited a poem about Mahsa Amini, the young woman… More

Iman Behpasand

A columnist, essayist, and online commentator, Behpasand was arrested at his home on September 22, 2022. Security officers raided his home in Tehran confiscating his mobile phone and laptop… More

Ali Asadollahi

A noted poet and the secretary of the Iranian Writers' Association, Asadollahi was detained on November 21, 2022 after he had published poems on his website about a teenager… More

Ahmed Douma

A poet, activist, and blogger, Douma was first arrested in 2013 due to his prominent role in the 2011 Egyptian revolution. He wrote his poetry collection Your Voice is… More

Denise Ho

A musician-turned-activist, Ho has been repeatedly targeted by Chinese authorities for her outspoken pro-democracy views, expressed through her songs, social media posts, and in columns written for the now-defunct… More

Nasta Karnackaja

Nasta Karnackaja is a literary critic and columnist who runs the Telegram channel “Bellit” where she publishes book reviews and commentary. In May 2022, she assisted with the… More

Lazhari Labter

Labter, a journalist and publisher whose writing gained popularity during the Hirak protests, was arrested in his home on November 20, 2022. On November 28, he was released from… More

Writers at Risk Database

Nguyen Huu Vinh Anh Ba Sam

A former police officer, Vinh founded a popular blog dedicated to criticism of the government and circumvention of its internet firewall. In 2014, he was arrested for “baseless” and… More

Enver Aysever

Enver Aysever

A sociologist and former columnist for the independent newspaper Cumhuriyet, Aysever was arrested in March 2021 for "provoking the public to hatred and hostility” by tweeting a political cartoon… More