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
ReleasedO. Sechenbaatar
Activist, Literary writer, Poet, ScholarChina/Inner Mongolia Autonomous RegionAsia-PacificSechenbaatar, who comments online about Mongolian culture, was detained after attending a local protest, which his relatives believe was cover for suppressing his writing. In an audio message posted online, he condemned Chinese authorities for decades of political oppression and the suppression of Mongolian language. In August 2020, he was…
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ReleasedOgaga Ifowodo
Activist, PoetNigeriaSub-Saharan AfricaPoet Ifowodo was arrested in November 1997 returning from the Commonwealth Summit in Scotland, where he appealed for stronger sanctions against then-President Sani Abacha. He was held in solitary confinement until his release in 1998. No charges were brought against him.
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On TrialOktay Candemir
JournalistTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaPro-Kurdish journalist Candemir has been prosecuted over 20 times. In September 2020, he was detained for a tweet and charged with insulting a long-deceased sultan. In May 2022, he was summoned to authorities for “insulting a public official.” He was tried and fined 7,080 lira in March 2023. In February…
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Displaced/In ExileOleg Kuvaev
Creative artistRussiaEurope and Central AsiaOleg Kuvaev is a Russian animator and creator of the satirical animated web series “Maysana.” Kuvaev has lived in Israel since the 2000s, but has been targeted by the Russian government for his outspoken political views and the content of his creative work. After an anti-war episode of “Masyana” was…
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ReleasedOleg Sentsov
Creative artist, Dramatist, Literary writerRussiaEurope and Central AsiaOleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian film director, was detained in Crimea in May 2014 and sentenced to 20 years in a Russian prison on charges of terrorism on August 25, 2015. Best known for his 2011 film Gamer, Sentsov lived in Crimea’s capital of Simferopol and was active in protests against…
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ReleasedOleh Halaziuk
JournalistUkraineEurope and Central AsiaRadio Free Europe columnist Oleh Halaziuk was detained by Russian-backed separatists in August 2017. He was released as part of a broader prisoner exchange in Ukraine in late December 2019. Since the outbreak of conflict in Ukraine, he had covered everyday living conditions in the Donetsk region, reporting persistently on…
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Displaced/In ExileOlga Shparaga
Editor, Journalist, Literary writer, ScholarBelarusEurope and Central AsiaOn October 4, 2020, philospher and writer Shparaga was detained for one day during a protest; but five days later, she was detained at Savecki district police department when she was summoned to testify. On October 12, she received and served a sentence of 15 days in administrative detention. After…
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Conditional ReleaseOljobai Shakir
Activist, Literary writer, Online Commentator, PoetKyrgyzstanEurope and Central AsiaShakir is a blogger, activist and author. He is an activist for LGBT rights and wrote the 2021 book Adam on this theme. He was detained in August 2023 for “inciting mass unrest” and “attempting to seize power” after he criticized the decision to transfer four resorts in the Issyk-Kul…
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DetainedOmar Ferhat
Journalist, Online CommentatorAlgeriaMiddle East and North AfricaOmar Ferhat is an Algerian journalist and online commentator who was arrested on February 5, 2026 in Algiers by state security. A court ordered his pretrial detention pending investigation into charges including defamation, spreading false news, inciting hate speech, and alleged collusion, linked to content published by his outlet Algerie…
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.