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.
Filters
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Status
Conditional ReleaseLoujain Al-Hathloul
Activist, Online CommentatorSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaAl-Hathloul, a women’s rights advocate, was detained in a sweep of arrests in May 2018 and held for 1,000 days in prison, during which time she was reportedly tortured and assaulted. In December 2020, she was found “guilty” of broad terrorism charges and sentenced to nearly six years in prison.…
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ReleasedAql Al-Bahili
Journalist, Literary writer, ScholarSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaProfessor, writer, and journalist, Al-Bahili was arrested in April 2020 after tweeting condolences over the death of a prominent Saudi human rights defender. He was subjected to enforced disappearance for ten days and denied any contact with his family, and then was denied access to a lawyer or information about…
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On TrialSalah Al-Haidar
Journalist, Literary writer, Online CommentatorSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaAl-Haidar was arrested without charge in a wave of arrests in April 2019. While in detention, he has been denied access to a lawyer. He is the son of a prominent Saudi feminist facing trial, who was released from prison two weeks before he was detained. He was conditionally released…
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Status
DetainedZuhair Kutbi
Journalist, ScholarSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaKutbi was imprisoned in January 2019 as part of a crackdown on dissident journalists. He had already served 2 years from 2015-2017 on charges of “inciting against the state.” In prison, he allegedly suffers from torture, malnourishment, and denial of cancer treatment.
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On TrialEman Al-Nafjan
Activist, Journalist, Online CommentatorSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaColumnist Al-Nafjan was detained in May 2018 in relation to her women’s rights advocacy. While in prison, she was reportedly sexually harassed and severly beaten. She was granted temporary release in March 2019, but remains confined to her house and on trial.
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ReleasedBader Al-Rashed
Journalist, Online CommentatorSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaOn November 16, 2019, Al-Rashed was one of ten writers and journalists arrested by Saudi officials. He had previously written about regional security issues. He was released later that month.
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Status
ReleasedAli Al-Shadwi
Literary writerSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaAl-Shadwi has published many novels and studies dealing with Saudi society, the most prominent of which are: Modernity and Saudi Society and Saudi Society: Preservation-Remembrance-Forgetting. He was arrested and detained in April 2020 after posting a tweet of condolence regarding human rights defender Abdullah al-Hamid, who died in custody. In…
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ReleasedFuad Al-Farhan
Online CommentatorSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaOn November 21, 2019, Saudi blogger Fuad Al-Farhan was arrested, his house was raided, and his devices seized. Following a brief detention lasting a matter of days, Al-Farhan was released later that month.
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ReleasedMusab Fuad
Online CommentatorSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaFuad was detained and his house raided as part of a wave of arrests in November 2019. He was released shortly after his detention following international press coverage and pressure calling for his release.
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.