Writers at Risk Database
PEN America champions the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. The bedrock work of the global PEN network is advocacy and assistance on behalf of individuals persecuted for their use of the written word or other forms of expression. PEN America’s Writers at Risk Database is a searchable catalog of the writers, journalists, academics, public intellectuals and others under threat around the world. The database includes historical cases PEN America has worked on from 1987 onwards; non-active cases are color-coded black. PEN America is grateful to the John Templeton Foundation for support that enabled the establishment of the Writers at Risk Database and to PEN International for their collaboration in assembling this database.
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ImprisonedYury Alexeyevich Dmitriev
Activist, ScholarRussiaEurope and Central AsiaA historian who researched Stalinist atrocities and head of the Karelia branch of the human rights organization Memorial, Dmitriev was imprisoned on baseless charges of sexual assault. On September 29, 2020, prosecutors appealed his prior acquittals in a backdoor trial, resulting in a 13 year sentence. In December 2021, this…
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ImprisonedXu Zhiyong
Activist, Literary writerChinaAsia-PacificXu Zhiyong, a noted essayist and public intellectual, had for decades advocated for good governance and citizen engagement through his writing. In February 2020, he was detained amid a crackdown on activists critical of Chinese government policies who had gathered in late December 2019. He was tried in secret in…
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Custodial/Wrongful DeathBaktash Abtin
Creative artist, Literary writer, PoetIranMiddle East and North AfricaPoet and filmmaker Abtin, with two other board members of the Iranian Writers Association, was convicted in 2019 for opposing state censorship policies. Abtin’s six-year prison sentence was upheld, and the trio started their sentences at Evin prison in September 2020. On January 8, 2022, Abtin died from COVID-19 contracted in…
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ImprisonedMehmet Osman Kavala
Activist, PublisherTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaA noted philanthropist and publisher focusing on promoting intercultural understanding, Kavala was setting up a cultural center for Syrian refugees when he was detained on terrorism charges in late 2017. He was sentenced to life in prison on April 25, 2022 for “attempting to overthrow the government.” His life sentence…
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ImprisonedWai Moe Naing
Activist, Journalist, Literary writerMyanmarAsia-PacificA writer and member of PEN Myanmar, Wai Moe Naing rose to prominence as an anti-coup protest leader in Monywa for his role in organizing daily demonstrations. On April 15, 2021, he was beaten, arrested, and detained, and was handed down sentences in both August and October 2022. On April…
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DetainedArun Ferreira
Creative artist, Literary writer, Singer/SongwriterIndiaAsia-PacificIn August 2018, Ferreira was arrested and detained on politically motivated charges of incitement to violence along with other leftist writer-activists in a coordinated raid. His charge sheet was seized, and his pleas to be granted parole and bail have been repeatedly rejected, despite a court order that authorities move…
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ImprisonedIlham Tohti
Online Commentator, ScholarChinaAsia-PacificIlham Tohti, an influential Uyghur writer and economist, co-founded the website Uyghurbiz. In September 2014, following repeated instances of harassment and detention, he was found guilty of separatism and sentenced to life imprisonment. Since 2017, he has been held incommunicado. PEN America’s Advocacy September 23, 2024: PEN America, in collaboration…
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DetainedGalal El-Behairy
Poet, Singer/SongwriterEgyptMiddle East and North AfricaTargeted for his lyrics in the protest song “Balaha” and a book of poetry entitled The Finest Women on Earth, El-Behairy was detained in March 2018. He was sentenced to 3 years in prison on national security and “false news” charges. He remains jailed despite serving his full sentence. On…
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ImprisonedVladyslav Yesypenko
JournalistUkraineEurope and Central AsiaYesypenko, a freelance journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was detained in March 2021 by the Russian Federal Security Services (FSB) while reporting in Crimea. FSB agents reportedly tortured him and forced him to confess; and in February 2022, he was sentenced to six years in prison and a fine…
Writers at Risk Database Key:
STATUS box that is red: Active case
STATUS box that is black: Inactive case
Funder
PEN America is deeply grateful to the John Templeton Foundation for its generous support of the Freedom to Write Index and Writers at Risk Database.
Partner
PEN America thanks the PEN International Secretariat and the Writers in Prison Committee for their extensive contributions to and collaboration on compiling the cases included in this database.