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
ReleasedVladyslav Yesypenko
JournalistUkraineEurope and Central AsiaYesypenko, a freelance journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was detained in March 2021 by the Russian Federal Security Services (FSB) while reporting in Crimea. FSB agents reportedly tortured him and forced him to confess; and in February 2022, he was sentenced to six years in prison and a fine…
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Custodial/Wrongful DeathVolodymyr Vakulenko
Literary writer, PoetUkraineEurope and Central AsiaA renowned writer and activist, Vakulenko had also volunteered for the Ukrainian army since 2015. He and his son went missing on March 7, 2022, amidst Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Vakulenko’s wife confirmed on April 12 that he was still alive, but had been kidnapped by Russian forces and was…
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ImprisonedVsevolod Korolev
Online Commentator, PoetRussiaEurope and Central AsiaPoet and filmmaker Vsevolod Korolev was a vocal opponent of the Russia-Ukraine war, attending various anti-war protests and making films about imprisoned activists. On July 11, 2022, a criminal case was opened against him for online posts. Two days later, he was arrested and subjected to a lengthy trial. On…
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ReleasedVyacheslav Malakhov
Online Commentator, PoetRussiaEurope and Central AsiaIn August 2023, poet and online commentator Vyacheslav Malakhov was fined 30,000 rubles for a VK post that allegedly “[discredited] the army.” On January 31, 2024, he was arrested again for “discrediting the army.” He pled guilty on June 11, 2024, and was sentenced to two years in prison on…
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ReleasedWa Lone
Journalist, Literary writerMyanmarAsia-PacificReuters reporter Wa Lone was a 2018 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award Honoree. He was arrested in December 2017 with his colleague Kyaw Soe Oo after they covered a massacre in Rakhine State. Both writers received seven-year prison sentences in 2018 for allegedly obtaining state secrets. Though their sentences were…
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Recorded HarassmentWael Abbas
Activist, Literary writer, Online CommentatorEgyptMiddle East and North AfricaKnown for his blogging to expose police brutality, Abbas was detained in May 2018 on charges of terrorism and dissemination of false news until he was conditionally released in December 2018. In April 2020, Abbas was briefly detained for posting images to his Facebook page. His phone and camera were…
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ImprisonedWahitjan Osman
Editor, PoetChina/Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous RegionAsia-PacificOsman, a Uyghur poet, was arrested without charge in 2018 and detained in one of the many Uyghur reeducation camps. In May 2021, he was convicted on “separatism” charges for allegedly “incorporating extremist separatist thoughts into children’s educational materials.” In 2023, Osman was reportedly sentenced to 15 years in prison.…
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ImprisonedWai Moe Naing
Activist, Journalist, Literary writerMyanmarAsia-PacificA writer and member of PEN Myanmar, Wai Moe Naing rose to prominence as an anti-coup protest leader in Monywa for his role in organizing daily demonstrations. On April 15, 2021, he was beaten, arrested, and detained, and was handed down sentences in both August and October 2022. On April…
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ImprisonedWaleed Abu Al-Khair
Activist, Journalist, Online CommentatorSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaAl-Khair was the first activist prosecuted under a new Saudi Arabian law that introduced overly broad definitions of terrorism, such that it can be applied to speech. In June 2014, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison, which was increased to 15 years in July 2024, on charges of…
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.