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
ReleasedTaoufik Bouachrine
JournalistMoroccoMiddle East and North AfricaThe publisher of Akhbar al-Youm, Bouachrine is widely recognized for his critical editorials and columns challenging the Moroccan government. He was arrested in February 2018 on multiple charges, an arrest widely regarded as politically motivated and aimed at silencing his journalism. In October 2019, his sentence was increased from 12…
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Under ThreatTashi Wangchuk
Activist, Online Commentator, TranslatorChinaAsia-PacificWangchuk, an online commentator, has publicly advocated for Tibetan language rights, drawing persecution from the state. In 2016, he was secretly detained and held incommunicado for two months. Sentenced to five years in prison for “inciting separatism,” he was conditionally released on January 28, 2021. He has continued his advocacy,…
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DetainedTashpolat Tiyip
Literary writer, ScholarChina/Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous RegionAsia-PacificTashpolat Tiyip is a Uyghur academic and the former president of Xinjiang University. In 2017, Chinese authorities stopped Tiyip at Beijing airport as he was traveling to Germany and forcibly detained him. It is rumored that Tiyip was secretly sentenced to death. The Chinese government stated to the United Nations…
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Conditional ReleaseTaymaz Afsari
Poet, Singer/Songwriter, TranslatorIranMiddle East and North AfricaTaymaz Afsari is a poet, researcher, translator, and composer who was arrested for “slogan writing” and transferred to Evin Prison following a violent home raid on June 17, 2023. Plainclothes police officers broke into his house and confiscated his electronics as well as those of his family members. They also…
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DeceasedTayseer Al-Najjar
Journalist, PoetUnited Arab EmiratesMiddle East and North AfricaOn December 13, 2015, Al-Najjar, a Jordanian national, was arrested by authorities for a Facebook post in which he criticized Israel and the UAE. He served nearly four years in prison and was tortured. He was released in February 2019, then died two years later at age 46. He was…
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On TrialTeesta Setalvad
Activist, Journalist, Literary writerIndiaAsia-PacificA well-known activist, columnist, and writer, Setalvad was detained on June 25, 2022 without a warrant. She was then accused of forgery, filing false charges, criminal conspiracy, and fabricating false evidence. She was released on bail on September 3, 2022, but is required to seek permission before attempting to leave…
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DetainedTemesgen Ghebreyesus
Creative artist, JournalistEritreaSub-Saharan AfricaGhebreyesus was the editor of the sports section of Keste Debene, a privately-owned Tigrinya-language newspaper. He has been detained incommunicado since 2001 as part of the government’s sweeping crackdown on print media following the September 11, 2001 attacks. He was transferred to a prison in the Dahlak Archipelago in late…
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DetainedTemirlan Yensebek
Activist, Creative artist, Online CommentatorKazakhstanEurope and Central AsiaTemirlan Yesenbek, a Kazakh blogger, activist, and founder of the satirical news outlet Qaznews24, was arrested on January 18, 2025, in Almaty. He was placed in pretrial detention for at least two months following a preliminary hearing. According to his lawyer, Yensebek’s arrest was linked to a satirical post featuring…
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ReleasedTendai Maduwa
Creative artistZimbabweSub-Saharan AfricaDirector and producer Maduwa was arrested alongside co-filmwriter Kudakwashe Bwititi after a screening of their fim The Lord of Kush. The film tells the story of a clash of cultures between Islamic and Christian communities in Zimbabwe and the violence that follows. He was granted $200 bail in July 2019,…
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.