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
ImprisonedYuyu Dong
Journalist, Literary writer, ScholarChinaAsia-PacificA columnist and essayist who wrote for the New York Times Chinese-language website between 2012 and 2014, Yuyu was arrested and charged with espionage in April 2023. He was branded as “anti-socialist” for an essay he wrote. In November 2024, Dong was sentenced to seven years in prison on espionage…
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ReleasedYvan Godbout
Literary writerCanadaAmericasIn April 2019, Godbout was charged with producing and distributing child pornography for a passage from his novel Hansel et Gretel, a retelling of the fairytale, in which a father sexually assaults his daughter. Tried in September 2020, Godbout was acquitted of the charges. On July 25, 2023, Godbout announced…
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ReleasedZahra Mohammadi
Activist, Scholar, TranslatorIranMiddle East and North AfricaMohammadi was arrested in 2019 for teaching the Kurdish language and detained for seven months, including a period in solitary confinement. In February 2021, an appeals court upheld a five-year prison sentence for “forming a group against national security.” Mohammadi was taken to Sanandaj Correctional Center in January 2022 to…
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Conditional ReleaseZahra Rahnavard
Literary writer, ScholarIranMiddle East and North AfricaRahnavard has been under unofficial house arrest since February 2011 for her and her husband’s political activism in support of anti-government protests and women’s rights. No charges have been pressed against them and no official legal proceedings have begun. Activists in 2023 raised concerns about the couple’s health, suggesting possible…
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ReleasedZakaria Osuli
Activist, Literary writer, ScholarAfghanistanAsia-PacificWriter and professor Zakaria Osuli wrote a book on a prominent anti-Taliban commander of the Northern Alliance, Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was assassinated by two Al-Qaeda operatives in 2001. He also published another book about the 2020 Doha Agreement, and is known for being an outspoken activist for women’s rights…
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DisappearedZaki Cordillo
Creative artist, DramatistSyriaMiddle East and North AfricaA playwright and key figure in the Puppet Theatre, Zaki Cordillo was arrested with his son in Damascus on August 11, 2012. He was reportedly detained for his writings on Syria and his outspoken opposition to atrocities committed by all sides of the conflict. His work, which focused on social…
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Continued HarassmentZakir Ali Tyagi
Journalist, Online CommentatorIndiaAsia-PacificTyagi is a Muslim journalist and online commentator with over 75k followers on Facebook. He was first detained in 2017 for 42 days over two Facbook posts. He was arrested again in August 2020 on charges of cow slaughter, that could lead to up to 10 years in prison. While…
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DetainedZan Aizong
Activist, Journalist, Literary writerChinaAsia-PacificOn July 20, 2024, Zan Aizong was detained on suspicion of provoking disturbances for organizing a memorial service on the seventh anniversary of Liu Xiaobo’s death. In February 2024, Aizong had published a statement in which he wrote that throughout the past two years, he had faced constant surveillance by…
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DetainedZana Al-Shahri
Journalist, Online CommentatorSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North Africaal‑Shahri, a Saudi journalist and blogger, was arrested in November 2019 during a broader crackdown on peaceful expression in Saudi Arabia. Known for her online posts supporting political reform and advocating for a constitutional monarchy, al‑Shahri was detained without formal charges or trial. She has remained in incommunicado detention since…
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.