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
DeceasedRuslan Sharipov
Activist, JournalistUzbekistanEurope and Central AsiaSharipov was detained in 2001 after publishing a series of articles challenging the government. In 2002, he was beaten three times, and, in 2003, was arrested on suspicion of homosexuality. He pled guilty under coercion but escaped to the United States en route to a work camp.
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Recorded HarassmentS. Hareesh
Literary writerIndiaAsia-PacificS. Hareesh, an Indian writer, began receiving threats in 2018 after an excerpt from his serialized novel Meesha (Moustache) was taken out of context and condemned widely on social media as offensive to Hindu women and priests. As a result, Hareesh suspended serialization of the book. After being translated into…
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Recorded HarassmentS. Sivadas
Creative artist, Singer/SongwriterIndiaAsia-PacificThe folk singer, Kovan, popularly known for using his music as a platform for activism, was arrested in 2018 after performing a song at a protest that mocked a pilgrimage related to the construction of a temple on disputed land in Ayodhya. The song went viral on social media, leading…
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Recorded HarassmentSaad Salloum
Activist, Literary writer, ScholarIraqMiddle East and North AfricaWriter and coordinator of the Masarat Foundation for Cultural and Media Development, Salloum and others at the Foundation faced death threats throughout 2017-18 from an anonymous Islamist organization. The Foundation was robbed three times between 2016 and 2018. In 2022, Salloum received the Ibn Rushd Prize, awarded to influential Arab…
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ConvictedSadegh Zibakalam
Journalist, Literary writer, ScholarIranMiddle East and North AfricaAcademic Zibakalam was summoned to court for ”threatening national security” in April 2022. He was dismissed from his job after writing about protests and was banned from teaching. He was sentenced to a year in prison in July 2023 for his comments on the schoolgirl poisonings in Iran. In May…
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ReleasedSadiq Usman Saleh
Creative artistNigeriaSub-Saharan AfricaPopular R&B singer Saleh received a court summons for a song he released that allegedly contained “immorality by featuring seductive dances;” Saleh claimed his arrest was political. He pled guilty and was remanded to prison before being granted bail and released in March 2017.
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DetainedSaeed Esmaeel
Literary writer, ScholarIranMiddle East and North AfricaSaeed Esmaeel is a writer belonging to the Arab minority. He is a former magazine editor and has published several books which were well-received in Arabic-speaking countries such as Kuwait. He was arrested in January 2025 in a raid on his home in Ahvaz. He holds an M.A. in Arabic…
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Conditional ReleaseSaeed Heleichi
Poet, TranslatorIranMiddle East and North AfricaA poet and translator, Heleichi received a threatening call over a Twitter post in April 2022. On October 19, 2022 he was arrested at his father’s home. The reason for his arrest, charges, and his whereabouts were unknown. He was later transferred to Sepidar Prison. On December 6, 2022, Heleichi…
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ImprisonedSaeed Madani
Journalist, ScholarIranMiddle East and North AfricaSociologist Madani was tried in 2013 on national security charges for involvement with opposition groups. After his 2016 release from prison, he was forced into internal exile. In January 2022, he was prevented from boarding a flight when leaving Iran for a sabbatical at Yale University. Five months later, in…
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.