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
Displaced/In ExileRoberto de Jesús Quiñones Haces
Journalist, Literary writer, PoetCubaAmericasIn August 2019, Quiñones Haces was sentenced to one year in prison for his reporting and refusal to pay the fines levied against him for his writing. In March 2021, the IACHR, an independent human rights body, granted Quiñones Haces precautionary measures due to continued state surveillance and intimidation despite…
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ConvictedRoberto Saviano
Dramatist, Journalist, Literary writerItalyEurope and Central AsiaAuthor Saviano faces three criminal defamation lawsuits for his public remarks. The lawsuits were brought against him by politicians, including former Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. On November 15, 2022, his trial for calling Prime Minister Meloni and the former Deputy Salvini “bastards” began in…
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ReleasedRodney Sieh
JournalistLiberiaSub-Saharan AfricaFounder and editor of Liberian newspaper FrontPageAfrica, Sieh was fined over US$2 million for criminal libel and effectively sentenced to life in prison after publishing findings of government corruption. He was released and cleared of fines in 2013 after 4 months in jail.
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MurderedRodrigo Neto de Faria
Journalist, Literary writerBrazilAmericasOn March 8, 2013, Brazilian journalist Rodrigo Neto de Faria was killed in Ipatinga. At the time of his death, Neto was reportedly working on a book investigating several murders that were suspected to involve police officers. While the man who carried out the murder and the individual who hired…
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ReleasedRoland Marchal
Literary writer, ScholarIranMiddle East and North AfricaFrench sociologist Dr. Marchal was detained in June 2019 when he traveled to Iran to visit his colleague Dr. Fariba Adelkhah. Both were charged with “collusion against national security” and held at Evin Prison. In March 2020, Dr. Marchal was released in a prisoner exchange. He later appeared on the…
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ReleasedRoman Sushchenko
Creative artist, JournalistRussiaEurope and Central AsiaA Ukrainian journalist and artist who reported on Russian propaganda, Sushchenko was arrested in Moscow in September 2016 and sentenced to 12 years in prison for “spying.” He was released in September 2019 as part of a historic prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine. Since his release, he has remained…
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Conditional ReleaseRoozbeh Sohani
PoetIranMiddle East and North AfricaA poet and board member of the Iranian Writers Association (IWA), Sohani was arrested at his home on December 5, 2022. He was released on a 600 million tomans bail on December 26, 2022. Authorities broke into his home and took him to an unknown location before arresting fellow poet…
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ReleasedRory Branker
JournalistVenezuelaAmericasRory Branker, a Venezuelan journalist and editor at La Patilla, was arrested on February 20, 2025, by intelligence agents, who also confiscated his laptops and phones. He was held incommunicado for over 200 days before being located at a Caracas police station in September 2025. On December 8, 2025, he…
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Continued HarassmentRowena He
Literary writer, ScholarChina/Hong KongAsia-PacificRowena He is the author of Tiananmen Exiles: Voices of the Struggle for Democracy in China. She also worked as a professor at several universities including Hong Kong University and Harvard University. In May 2023, her book was removed from all Hong Kong public libraries and her visa renewal to…
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.