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 ReleaseAkli Mouhoubi
Journalist, Literary writer, PoetAlgeriaMiddle East and North AfricaMouhoubi is a poet and literary writer who was engaged in freelance reporting at a local newspaper. He was suddenly arrested at his workplace and taken into custody on January 25, 2023. While in detention, his father was summoned and asked to provide a copy of his son’s latest poetry…
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On TrialAkram Aylisli
Dramatist, Literary writerAzerbaijanEurope and Central AsiaAylisi has been subject to a government-sanctioned public harassment campaign since the publication of his novella Stone Dreams in 2012. He is currently on trial for charges of ‘hooliganism’ and resisting arrest under Article 315.1 of the Criminal Code, which could lead to a prison sentence of up to three…
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DisappearedAkram Raslan
Creative artist, Online CommentatorSyriaMiddle East and North AfricaA well-known cartoonist and blogger, Raslan has published over 300 cartoons. Since the 2012 uprising in Syria, he had been publishing pro-opposition cartoons anonymously on popular news websites such as Al-Jazeera and on his blog. He was arrested in late 2012 and was held incommunicado for years. In September 2015,…
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DetainedAlaa Abd El Fattah
Activist, Online CommentatorEgyptMiddle East and North AfricaActivist and blogger Abd El Fattah was first arrested in 2014 and served five years in prison until March 2019. He was re-arrested six months later and detained at Tora prison. In December 2021, he was sentenced to five years in prison for “broadcasting false news.” He started a hunger…
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ReleasedAlaa Al-Mashrawi
JournalistPalestinian TerritoriesMiddle East and North AfricaDirector of Al-Mashreq News, Alaa Al-Mashrawi is a vocal critic who writes opinion pieces and columns in solidarity with Palestinians. In 2020, he wrote an article calling for the boycott of the telecommunications company Jawwal. He was arrested by Hamas Internal Security Forces in 2021 and held for 78 days…
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DetainedAlaa al-Rimawi
Journalist, Online CommentatorIsrael/Occupied Palestinian TerritoryMiddle East and North AfricaIn October 2023, Israeli forces raided political analyst, columnist, and J-Media director Al-Rimawi’s home in the West Bank and detained his son, whose arrest they used to pressure Al-Rimawi to turn himself in. A month later, his wife reported that he had been placed in administrative detention for 6 months;…
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MurderedAlaa Mashzoub
Literary writerIraqMiddle East and North AfricaOn February 2, 2019, Mashzoub, a prominent novelist, was murdered by an anonymous motorcycle gunman in Karbala. Prior to his death, Mashzoub was a vocal critic of Iraqi religious sectarianism and his killing is suspected to be related to his online posts critical of Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini and its involvement…
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ImprisonedAleh Kacapaǔ
Literary writer, PoetBelarusEurope and Central AsiaOn March 21, 2023, Belarusian poet and writer Aleh Kacapaŭ was detained. He was charged with insulting the President, inciting hatred, and promoting extremist activities for producing, distributing, and storing what Belarusian authorities allege were “extremist materials.” Kacapaǔ’s closed-door trial began on November 24, 2024, and concluded on March 2,…
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Continued HarassmentAlejandro Alfie
Journalist, Literary writerArgentinaAmericasBetween July and November 2024, Alejandro Alfie reported over 100 targeted messages and fake news incidents, uncovering a systematic campaign to discredit him professionally and personally. On November 17, 2024, following his interview on Radio Mitre with Jorge Fernández Díaz—in which they discussed government hostility towards journalists—Alfie reported a surge…
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.