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
ImprisonedAli Al-Omari
Journalist, Online Commentator, PublisherSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaAli Al-Omari is a Saudi journalist, publisher, and commentator who has been imprisoned on national security charges linked to terrorism-related allegations. He has been under prosecution since at least 2018 in a specialized criminal court, with reports of prosecutors seeking the death penalty, though trial outcomes remain unclear. Earlier proceedings…
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Conditional ReleaseAli Al-Saffar
Journalist, Online CommentatorSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaAli Al-Saffar is one of several commentators and writers arrested in April 2019. He had previously written about the Syrian Civil War and regional conflicts but had not been active at the time of his arrest. He was detained until March 2021, when he was conditionally released. Throughout his detention…
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ReleasedAli Al-Shadwi
Literary writerSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaSaudi Arabian writer Ali Al-Shadwi has published many novels and studies dealing with Saudi society, the most prominent of which are: Modernity and Saudi Society and Saudi Society: Preservation-Remembrance-Forgetting. He was arrested and detained in April 2020 after posting a tweet of condolence regarding human rights defender Abdullah al-Hamid, who…
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DisappearedAli Al-Shihabi
Literary writer, Online CommentatorSyriaMiddle East and North AfricaAl-Shihabi, a Syrian-Palestinian political analyst, writer, and blogger, was arrested in December 2012 by the Palestine Branch of Syrian Military Intelligence. He was reportedly detained incommunicado, and his location remained unknown for years. There have been unconfirmed reports suggesting that Al-Shihabi may have died under torture in custody as of…
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ImprisonedAli Aracı
Creative artist, Singer/SongwriterTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaMusician Aracı is a member of activist collective and band Grup Yorum who plays the flute and kaval. The band has angered Turkish authorities and members face serious threats. Aracı was arrested in June 2019, and released in September 2020, but rearrested and released the following month. He was again…
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Conditional ReleaseAli Asadollahi
Literary writer, Online Commentator, Poet, Singer/Songwriter, TranslatorIranMiddle East and North AfricaAli Asadollahi is a noted poet, writer, translator, and member of the Iranian Writers’ Association. He has written six poetry collections, been published widely in literary journals, and has won awards for his writing and translation. Asadollahi was first detained in November 2022 after he published poems on his website…
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Conditional ReleaseAli Bahrampour
Literary writer, TranslatorIranMiddle East and North AfricaA literary writer and translator, Bahrampour was arrested on November 3, 2022. After 78 days of detention he was released. He was sentenced to over 8 years in prison on charges of “destabilizing national security,” “insulting the supreme leader,” and “distribution of misinformation,” among other charges. He is under a…
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ConvictedAli Bulaç
Journalist, ScholarTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaA former columnist for the shuttered Zaman newspaper, Bulaç was one of many journalists rounded up after the failed 2016 coup in Türkiye. He spent over a year in pre-trial detention on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization.” After a lengthy legal process, he was sentenced to two years…
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ImprisonedAli Jahanian
Activist, PoetIranMiddle East and North AfricaAli Jahanian is an activist and poet. He and his wife, Fereshteh Soori, were arrested in September 2024 for “propaganda” charges. Jahanian was released on bail in November. In March 2025, Jahanian was sentenced to a year in prison for “propaganda” along with his wife. Both Soori and Jahanian were…
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.