The number of writers jailed around the world has increased for the sixth year in a row according to the Freedom to Write Index, released by PEN America today. The Index recorded 375 writers in prison across 40 countries in 2024, an increase from 339 writers across 33 countries in 2023.
There were several alarming trends uncovered in the Index this year, including more women writers being jailed and an increasing number of writers classed as “online commentators” being jailed for opinions posted online. This year has also seen a continued increase in the number of writers being held either without charge or in pre-trial detention, from 76 such cases in 2023 to 80 in 2024. Of these cases, the majority are in China, Egypt, and Israel (including the Occupied Palestinian Territory). Notably, Egypt saw a threefold increase in prolonged pre-trial detentions, rising from three writers in 2023 to nine in 2024.
Overall, China (including autonomous regions) remains the country with the highest number of jailed writers for the sixth year in a row with 118, up from 107 in 2023, which was also the biggest increase in numbers globally. Iran was second with 43 writers, a slight drop from 49. Between them, these two countries make up 43% of imprisoned writers worldwide. Completing the Top 10 worst countries for writers this year were Saudi Arabia (23), Vietnam (23), Israel (21), Russia (18), Türkiye (18), Belarus (15), Egypt (10), and Myanmar (10).
“Authoritarian regimes are desperate to control the narrative of history and repress the truth about what they are doing. That is why writers are so important, and why we see these regimes attempting to silence them,” said Karin Deutsch Karlekar, PEN America’s director of writers at risk.
“Jailing one writer for their words is a miscarriage of justice, but the systematic suppression of writers around the world represents an erosion of free expression—which is often the precursor to the destruction of other fundamental human rights.”
For the past six years, the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Center has been systematically researching news and verifying reports of writers being jailed because of their words or expression. Any case where the writer was held for at least 48 hours is then included in the Index for that year. In addition to the Freedom to Write Index, the Writers at Risk Database includes cases that provide insights into the other threats that writers face, such as murder, forcible disappearance, and displacement/exile. There are currently 975 active cases of writers at risk in 83 countries in the database.
The Index has counted a growing number of jailed writers every year since its inception, with 238 imprisoned in 2019, 273 in 2020, 277 in 2021, 311 in 2022, and 339 in 2023. The number of women writers being imprisoned has also increased to 59—making up 16% of the overall writers jailed this year. This is up from 15% in 2023 (51 writers) and 14% in 2022 (42 writers). In 2024, Iran was the biggest jailer of women writers at 13, or 30% of their total number of writers in prison. Women who wrote against the mandatory hijab laws or other restrictions placed on women were the most at risk.
War and conflict continued to have an impact on free expression around the world. Israel and Russia remained in their 2023 positions of fifth and sixth place, but both saw an uptick in actual numbers with Israel jailing 21 writers, up from 17, and Russia increasing from 16 to 18—the majority of whom were imprisoned for anti-war sentiments.
“War, conflict, and attacks against the free exchange of information and ideas go hand in hand with lies and propaganda,” said Karlekar. “Writers represent a threat to disinformation and encourage people to think critically about what is going on around them. With the Index, we want to alert the world to the jailing and mistreatment of these 375 writers. Each and every one of them should be released, and we insist that the world’s jailers of writers end this repression and abuse.”
Below please find a brief summary of trends in each of the Top 10 countries. For more information and to download the full report visit the 2024 Freedom to Write Index.
No. 1: China*
In 2024, the number of writers jailed in China jumped from 107 cases to 118. Of the total number of writers, about one third are primarily online commentators, nine are female, and 33 are detained without charges or are in pre-trial detention. Authorities continue to target writers for writing about topics like democracy, criticism of the Chinese Communist Party, and the promotion of ethnic minority language and culture. Just under half of the jailed writers during 2024 were Uyghur, Tibetan, or Mongolian, who are often arrested and imprisoned for vague charges that allege “separatism.” China is an increasingly closed environment for free expression and has technology and an infrastructure that enables the government to censor, monitor, and control all digital information that flows into and out of the country and its autonomous regions.
*Including autonomous regions
No. 2: Iran
With 43 jailed writers, down from 49 in 2023, Iran was still second in the rankings. The small dip represents a continued decline in numbers from the sharp spike seen in 2022, when writers were caught up in a wide-ranging crackdown on protests and other forms of dissent, but is still considerably higher than prior to the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests. Of its total number of jailed writers, 30 are men and 13 (30%) are women—making Iran the biggest global jailer of women writers. A significant number of the writers released after the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests have fled into exile or remain subject to severe controls. New cases of writers and artists being detained were regularly reported in 2024, alongside additional sentences for those already behind bars. Kurdish writers, musicians, and artists continue to face acute, extreme repression and attack from Iranian authorities.
No. 3: Saudi Arabia
The Saudi government continued to hold large numbers of writers in jail in 2024, with several new cases reported, giving a total of 23. The use of draconian sentences against social media users indicates authorities’ interest in closing all avenues for unsanctioned expression, and bloggers and online commentators face constant threat of online harassment, smear campaigns, arrest, and incommunicado detention. A significant percentage of online commentators were arrested and detained specifically for advocacy related to women’s rights and criticism of state-imposed religious regulations on women. Saudi Arabia also imposes some of the lengthiest sentences on writers with eight of the writers counted in the Index serving extremely long sentences of at least 11 years.
No. 3: Vietnam
In 2024, the Vietnamese government intensified its crackdown on free expression, with the number of imprisoned writers rising to 23, maintaining Vietnam’s position as the third-worst jailer of writers globally. Vietnam continues to imprison writers, journalists, and dissidents for long periods of time including 2024 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Honoree Pham Doan Trang, who was sentenced to nine years in 2021 for “anti-state propaganda. The Vietnamese government not only imprisons and threatens writers but also suppresses everyday free expression by monopolizing traditional media like radio, television, and newspapers. Additionally, Vietnam controls the book industry by tightly controlling publishing, requiring pre-approval for content, censoring dissenting voices, and limiting access to independent or foreign publications. While the internet and platforms like Facebook and YouTube offer spaces for dissent, they are increasingly subjected to government censorship. The defunding of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) is likely to have a long-term impact on the free expression space in Vietnam.
No. 5: Israel**
In 2024, the Israeli government escalated its targeted suppression of Palestinian voices, maintaining its position as the fifth-worst jailer of writers, with seven new cases of administrative detention and a total of 21 writers jailed. Many of those arrested remain in prolonged administrative detention, held without formal charges or evidence against them. In addition to attacks against individual writers in the West Bank and Israel, Israel has also targeted Palestinian literature by raiding the internationally acclaimed Palestinian Educational Bookshop in East Jerusalem.
As violence escalates in Gaza, the free expression, cultural and intellectual cost has been staggering. According to PEN International, this is the deadliest war for writers since World War II. By December 2024, PEN America had documented the deaths of at least 125 cultural figures as a result of Israel’s military campaign. This includes 24 writers, 83 professors, 12 poets, two songwriters, two filmmakers, one playwright, and one translator. These figures reflect not only the human toll of the war, but also its devastating impact on Gaza’s cultural and academic life.
** Including Occupied Palestinian Territory
No. 6: Russia
The Russian government’s crackdown on free expression continued into 2024, as authorities held 18 writers in prison or detention during the year. The overwhelming majority of writers have been jailed for their opposition to Russia’s war in Ukraine. The 2024 figure increased from 16 writers in 2023, the first year that Russia was ranked among the Top 10 jailers as a result of its expanding crackdown on anti-war expression after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
No. 6: Türkiye
Türkiye’s numbers increased from last year’s Index, jumping from 14 to 18 writers, as authorities cracked down on free expression and journalism on many different fronts over the course of the year. Turkish authorities weaponized broad anti-terror laws against journalists to accuse them of PKK membership and targeted them for arbitrary arrests. In 2024, the Turkish government also furthered its specific threats of continued harassment against writers, weaponizing ongoing trials and legal charges, and dragging out cases and re-trials for years.
In 2024, Türkiye saw an increasingly repressive crackdown on Kurdish writers and columnists.
No. 8: Belarus
During 2024, the Belarusian government continued to repress free expression rights in the country, with authorities holding 15 writers in jail in 2024, a small decline from 16 in 2023. Belarus has held 10 of the 15 writers behind bars since at least 2021, showing how the crackdown on dissent, literature, and creativity that followed the illegitimate 2020 presidential election of Aleksander Lukashenka continues to restrict the space for free expression in 2024. Authorities misuse overbroad laws against “extremism” to prosecute writers under the pretense of protecting Belarus’s national security from “incitement” of hatred or hostility. By continuing to write and publish in exile, writers in Belarus resist violations of linguistic and cultural rights from their own government, which favors Russian language.
No. 9: Egypt
Egypt re-entered the Top 10 in 2024, rising from eleventh place the previous year. The number of jailed writers nearly doubled, reaching 10—with six newly detained, four of whom have never previously been jailed. This surge reflects a renewed and systematic crackdown on public dissent, as authorities continue to deploy repressive tactics to silence journalists, bloggers, activists, and literary figures alike. Nine of these writers are jailed without charge or in pre-trial detention, a three-fold increase from 2023.
No. 9: Myanmar
In 2024, Myanmar had 10 jailed writers. Despite the continued decline in the number of jailed writers, new cases continued to be reported, and lengthy sentences have been handed down to individual writers, journalists, and creative artists who had been detained in the past several years. Most commonly, writers are targeted for covering subjects such as military operations and human rights abuses in conflict zones, corruption, political developments, or official policies. Despite the dip in numbers, there is a growing risk to journalists and writers in Myanmar, especially as the defunding of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) threatens the essential support for organizations like Radio Free Asia, which have been key platforms for independent writing and the protection of writers at risk.