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
MurderedRefaat Alareer
PoetIsrael/Occupied Palestinian TerritoryMiddle East and North AfricaAlareer, a writer and scholar, was also co-founder of the “We Are Not Numbers” project. In December 2023, Alareer and several family members were killed in an Israeli airstrike that surgically targeted the second floor of his sister’s apartment building, where he was staying after being displaced. He had reportedly…
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Recorded HarassmentRehna Sultana
Activist, Poet, ScholarIndiaAsia-PacificSultana is one of the “Miya” (Bengali-language Muslim) poets charged in July 2019 after the online publication of a poem by Hafiz Ahmed that authorities claimed promoted sectarian enmity in the state of Assam. On July 17, 2019, all ten poets were granted anticipatory bail. Sultana was already battling four…
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Recorded HarassmentRenata Carvalho
Creative artistBrazilAmericasCarvalho, an actor in the play O Evangelho Segundo Jesus, Rainha do Céu (The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven)—which encountered multiple bans and attempts to supress its message—has faced intense backlash for her role portraying Jesus as a transgender woman. She has been subjected to police harassment, as…
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ImprisonedRené Capain Bassène
Journalist, Literary writerSenegalSub-Saharan AfricaRené Capain Bassène, known for his reporting on the Casamance conflict, was arrested at his home on January 14, 2018, accused of organizing a January 6 massacre in the Bayotte Forest where 14 loggers were killed. On June 13, 2022, Bassène was sentenced to life imprisonment on several murder charges.…
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Conditional ReleaseReza Keshvari
Creative artist, Online Commentator, PoetIranMiddle East and North AfricaKeshvari is a poet, artist, and online commentator. He was arrested for participating in protests in October 2022. He suffers from multiple sclerosis which he was diagnosed with in summer 2022. He was sentenced to five years in prison on undisclosed charges, before being released in early 2023. Keshvari remains…
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ReleasedReza Khandan Mahabadi
Literary writerIranMiddle East and North AfricaKhandan Mahabadi, with two other members of the Iranian Writers’ Association, was arrested in May 2019 for opposing state censorship. An appeals judge upheld his six-year sentence, and the trio was summoned to Evin prison in September 2020. Released on a medical furlough in December 2021 after contracting COVID-19, he…
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MurderedRezaul Karim Siddique
Editor, Literary writer, Poet, ScholarBangladeshAsia-PacificRezaul Karim Siddique was a professor, writer, and secular activist, widely recognized for his outspoken criticism of religious extremism and militancy. On April 23, 2016, Siddique was brutally hacked to death near his home in Rajshahi. His murder was believed to be a retaliation for his critical writings, which opposed…
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Continued HarassmentRichard Medhurst
Journalist, Online CommentatorAustriaEurope and Central AsiaBritish journalist Richard Medhurst was arrested at Heathrow Airport upon returning to the UK in August 2024 for “terrorism.” He was held for almost 24 hours. In February 2025, he was detained by Austrian authorities due to his reporting on the Middle East. Authorities threatened to revoke his Austrian residency…
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Displaced/In ExileRichard Zamora
Singer/SongwriterCubaAmericasZamora is a lyricist who frequently expresses critical ideas about the Cuban government in his music. On July 12, 2021, Zamora was arrested after participating in the 11J protests and later transferred to prison under the charges of public disorder, robbery with force, and disturbances. He was finally released on…
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.