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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Displaced/In ExileAnnah Ashaba
Online Commentator, PoetUgandaSub-Saharan AfricaAnnah Ashaba, also known as Ashana, was forced to leave Uganda and flee to Israel, where she recieved a scholarship to continue her university education. In 2021, Ashaba wrote a satirical poem about Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni. She was subsequently summoned by Uganda’s Internal Security Organization, who reportedly attempted to…
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ConvictedAnouar Rahmani
Literary writer, Online CommentatorAlgeriaMiddle East and North AfricaSince 2017, Rahmani has faced legal threats over content in his books, including a gay relationship and depictions of God. In November 2020, he was convicted of “insulting the President” and fined 50,000 dinar. In 2022, he joined the Artist Protection Fund at Carnegie Mellon University and held a residency…
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ConvictedAnte Tomić
Dramatist, Journalist, Literary writerCroatiaEurope and Central AsiaIn November 2019, writer and journalist Tomić was ordered to pay 15,000 HRK (US$ 4,300) in psychological damages, plus legal fees, to Croatia’s Minister of Culture after publishing a derogatory article about him in a Serbian newspaper. Despite this, Tomić continues his career, writing for the Croatian publication Jutarnji list.…
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Recorded HarassmentAntónio Aly Silva
Online CommentatorGuinea-BissauSub-Saharan AfricaFreelance journalist and editor of the blog Dictatorship of Consensus, António Aly Silva is a strong critic of President Úmaro Sissoco Embaló and the current regime. He was detained for nine hours for publishing photos of the coup in 2012. On March 9, 2021, he was abducted, robbed, and savagely…
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Continued HarassmentAnwar Al-Rasheed
Activist, Literary writer, Online CommentatorKuwaitMiddle East and North AfricaProminent Kuwaiti activist Al-Rasheed often uses his Twitter account to write opinion commentary on the country’s public matters. He was physically restrained from speaking publicly and threatened with violence. In 2022, Al-Rasheed was summoned to appear before a public prosecutor. No details were provided. On the evening of August 26,…
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Displaced/In ExileAnwar Hayati
Activist, Online CommentatorKuwaitMiddle East and North AfricaBidoon activist Anwar Hayati was fired from his job as a doctor at Mubarak al-Kabeer Hospital on October 11, 2020, for publicly criticizing the government health sector. After being reinstated in September 2021, Hayati was fined 500 dinars in August 2022 for speeches he gave at Bidoon protests. Hayati then…
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ReleasedAnwar Rostom
Literary writer, Online Commentator, ScholarIsrael/Occupied Palestinian TerritoryMiddle East and North AfricaTeacher, writer, and board member of the Bayt al-Maqdis Center for Literature Anwar Rostom was arrested on January 10, 2024, from her family home in Ramallah for posts she published on her Facebook account. In November 2024, she was charged with incitement to violence and sentenced to one year in…
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Continued HarassmentApoorvanand Jha
Journalist, ScholarIndiaAsia-PacificOn August 3, 2020, Jha, a Hindi professor known for his criticism of the Indian government’s passing of the controversial 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act, was questioned for five hours by the Delhi police. Four days later, over 1,300 people, including a member of parliament, issued a public appeal condemning the…
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ReleasedAql Al-Bahili
Journalist, Literary writer, ScholarSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaSaudi Arabian professor, writer, and journalist Al-Bahili was arrested in April 2020 after tweeting condolences over the death of a prominent Saudi human rights defender. He was subjected to enforced disappearance for ten days and denied any contact with his family. He was subsequently denied access to a lawyer or…
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.