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
ReleasedSamer Khuweira
JournalistIsrael/Occupied Palestinian TerritoryMiddle East and North AfricaSamer Khuweira is a Palestinian journalist who was arrested by Israeli forces on April 10, 2025 and placed under administrative detention without charge or trial. His detention was renewed multiple times over more than nine months. He was released on January 8, 2026 at a military checkpoint in the occupied…
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ReleasedSami Hamdi
Activist, Online CommentatorUnited StatesAmericasSami Hamdi, a British political commentator and outspoken critic of Israel, was detained in October 2025 while on a speaking tour in the U.S.. Hamdi had just attended a conference held by the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Sacramento, California when he was stopped at San Francisco International Airport by…
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Custodial/Wrongful DeathSamira Ebrahimi
Online CommentatorIranMiddle East and North AfricaEbrahimi was a blogger who wrote online commentary in support of the Iranian protests. According to the Iranian Writers Action Committee, she was arrested on December 11, 2022 and taken into custody. She was beaten severely and taken to the hospital by authorities. She died as a result of her…
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DetainedSamuel Peter Oyay
Journalist, Online CommentatorUnited Arab EmiratesMiddle East and North AfricaSamuel Peter Oyay is a South Sudanese columnist and online commentator who was detained in Dubai on September 30, 2025 by security personnel during a home raid, reportedly over “security” reasons linked to his writings. He was held without formal charges and his family was initially given no clear information…
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ReleasedSan San Nwe
Activist, Journalist, Literary writerMyanmarAsia-PacificSan San Nwe is a Burmese novelist, journalist, and political activist. She was sentenced in 1994 to 10 years’ imprisonment for “spreading information injurious to the state” and “giving one-sided views” to foreign reporters. The reason underlying her imprisonment was her active support for Aung San Suu Kyi, who at…
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ReleasedSanaa Seif
Creative artist, Journalist, Literary writerEgyptMiddle East and North AfricaSeif, an opinion writer and filmmaker, went to Tora Prison to receive a letter from her brother, blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah, where she was attacked. When reporting the crime against her, Seif was abducted by plainclothes policemen. She was then detained on charges of “spreading false news,” “inciting terrorist…
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Recorded HarassmentSandra Rodríguez Cotto
Journalist, Literary writer, Online CommentatorPuerto RicoAmericasA columnist, literary writer, and online commentator, Sandra Rodríguez Cotto has faced continued harassment since 2018, largely due to her outspoken views. She was accused of playing a role in the 2019 protests and, over the years, she has faced numerous threats, including a lawsuit in the summer of 2022.…
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Conditional ReleaseSara Mottaghi
Online Commentator, PoetIranMiddle East and North AfricaMottaghi, a poet and online commentator, was summoned to court after writing an article advocating for the preservation of the pre-Islamic Iranian celebration of Sepandarmazgan. On February 28, 2023, she was charged with blasphemy and transferred to Lakan prison. Her arrest was part of a broader crackdown on cultural expressions…
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DetainedSari Orabi
Journalist, Literary writer, Online CommentatorIsrael/Occupied Palestinian TerritoryMiddle East and North AfricaSari Orabi is a Palestinian journalist, researcher, and online commentator who was arrested by Israeli forces on December 25, 2025 in Rafat near Jerusalem and taken to an undisclosed location. On January 4, 2026, he was placed under a six-month administrative detention order, later reduced to four months. His arrest…
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.