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
AcquittedTsitsi Dangarembga
Dramatist, Literary writerZimbabweSub-Saharan AfricaNoted author Dangarembga was arrested for taking part in anti-corruption protests in July 2020 and was released on bail the next day. She appeared at least 25 times in court on spurious charges of “incitement to commit violence” and “breaching COVID-19 regulations.” In September 2022, she was convicted of the…
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ReleasedTu Tu Tha
Journalist, Literary writerMyanmarAsia-PacificTu Tu Tha is a novelist and journalist who was arrested on April 24, 2021 in a home raid by over 10 military soldiers. She was charged with “incitement” and was detained at Insein Prison. She spent her 50th birthday in custody, in a cell shared with 60 other women…
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ReleasedTuğçe Tayyar
Creative artist, Singer/SongwriterTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaTayyar is a member of activist collective and band Grup Yorum. Since the band’s inception, members have faced serious threats for its songs critical of the government. Tayyar was arrested in November 2019 during a police raid on the band’s cultural center and released after five months. Later in 2020,…
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ReleasedTuğçe Yilmaz
Journalist, Online CommentatorTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaJournalist and columnist Tuğçe Yılmaz was arrested on November 26, 2024. During her interrogation, authorities questioned her about her journalism and social media activity, particularly focusing on her October 15 interview with philosopher Michael Hardt, in which they discussed his book The Destructive Seventies and political issues in Türkiye, including…
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DisappearedTurad Al-Amri
JournalistSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaPolitical commentator Al-Amri has been missing since November 2016 after tweeting to protest a clampdown on Saudi media, which included blocking the online newspaper he worked for. His presumed arrest occurred amid a broader crackdown on journalists and citizen journalists in the country. Authorities have not confirmed whether he has…
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Custodial/Wrongful DeathTurki Al-Jasser
Journalist, Online CommentatorSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaAl-Jasser was a blogger who wrote about politics, social issues, and religion between 2013 and 2015, including topics such as women’s status in Islam and the uprising in Egypt. He was arrested at his home on March 15, 2018, and taken to an undisclosed location. Rumors about his death circulated…
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ImprisonedUcha Abashidze
Activist, Online CommentatorGeorgiaEurope and Central AsiaUcha Abashidze is a pro-Ukranian military blogger and activist against the Foreign Agents Law. On May 4, 2024, the Ministry of Internal Affairs began investigating him for “cyber attacks.” On May 9, Aashidze was arrested for illegal weapons possessions. His lawyer argued that the charges were fabricated to suppress his…
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ReleasedUladzimir Liankevich
Poet, TranslatorBelarusEurope and Central AsiaA project manager at PEN Belarus, Liankevich was detained at a peaceful protest in Minsk on September 8, 2020, after the election of Aleksander Lukashenka. He was sentenced during an unfair trial to six days in jail for allegedly violating orders related to mass events. He later told contacts he…
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ImprisonedUladzimir Matskevich
Literary writer, ScholarBelarusEurope and Central AsiaMatskevich is a philosopher who was arrested in a home raid on August 4, 2021 and detained in restrictive conditions, justified by the authorities’ claims that he is “prone to extremism.” He underwent a hunger strike in February 2022 to protest his detention. On June 23, 2022, he was sentenced…
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.