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
DetainedArslan Abdulla
Editor, Poet, ScholarChina/Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous RegionAsia-PacificPoet and professor of Uyghur literature and philology Arslan Abdulla was detained in September 2018 alongside other Uyghur scholars. He served as dean of Xinjiang University’s School of Humanities and is a prominent figure in Uyghur literature, known for editing major literary corpora and publishing works such as Youth Star…
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ImprisonedArtem Kamardin
PoetRussiaEurope and Central AsiaKamardin is a poet belonging to the Kabardian ethnic minority in Russia. He was beaten and violently raped by Russian authorities in September 2022 for his poetry readings during an anti Ukraine-war protest. He was forced to apologize on camera. He was later charged with “inciting hatred,” and was sentenced…
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Conditional ReleaseArun Ferreira
Creative artist, Literary writer, Singer/SongwriterIndiaAsia-PacificIn August 2018, Ferreira was arrested and detained on politically motivated charges of incitement to violence along with other leftist writer-activists in a coordinated raid. His charge sheet was seized, and his requests for bail had been repeatedly rejected, despite a court order to resolve the charges against him. In…
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Continued HarassmentArundhati Roy
Activist, Literary writerIndiaAsia-PacificWinner of the Man Booker prize and a longtime activist, Roy reported in August 2019 that a court had ordered Delhi police to issue a First Information Report against her for statements on Kashmir, clearing the way for police investigation into her conduct. In October 2023, Roy was charged under…
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ReleasedArzhang Davoodi
Activist, Journalist, Poet, ScholarIranMiddle East and North AfricaDavoodi was arrested in 2003 for his involvement in the production of the documentary Forbidden Iran, which exposed the harsh realities of life under the Iranian regime. After enduring a series of sham trials and convictions, he was sentenced to death. During his imprisonment, he was tortured, leading to serious…
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Displaced/In ExileArzu Demir
Journalist, Literary writerTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaIn 2016, literary writer and journalist Arzu Demir was accused of glorifying terrorism and sentenced to 6 years in prison for writing two books, Dağın Kadın Hali (Womanly State of the Mountain) and Devrimin Rojava Hali (Revolution’s State of Rojava), based on interviews with female guerrillas. She appealed the verdict…
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DetainedAsad Ali Toor
Journalist, Online CommentatorPakistanAsia-PacificOpinion journalist and vlogger Toor has a large following on social media, where he has critically spoken of Pakistan’s chief justice and military. In 2021, he was attacked and beaten by three unknown assailants in a home invasion. In February 2024, Toor was arrested for attempting to “incite violence” through…
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Displaced/In ExileAsal Abasian
Journalist, Literary writer, TranslatorIranMiddle East and North AfricaAsal Abasian is a queer journalist and writer who was forced to flee Iran in 2021 for Türkiye. They were interrogated and threatened with imprisonment on two separate occasions in 2020 and 2021 due to their writing, journalistic work, and activism. Currently exiled in Paris, Abasian continues to write and…
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Recorded HarassmentAseem Trivedi
Activist, Creative artist, Literary writerIndiaAsia-PacificAseem Trivedi launched the campaign Cartoons Against Corruption in 2011. In January 2012, he was charged with sedition and defamation over his cartoons, leading to a prolonged legal battle that lasted for most of the next three years. Despite facing charges related to national symbols, he continued his activism. As…
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.