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
Recorded HarassmentAtef Abu Saif
Literary writer, Online CommentatorPalestinian TerritoriesMiddle East and North AfricaPalestinian author, columnist, and political figure Atef Abu Saif has reportedly been routinely detained by Hamas forces in Gaza. On March 18, 2019, he was beaten by unidentified assailants. They broke the fingers of his right hand and left him with serious injuries. Following the outbreak of conflict on October…
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Displaced/In ExileAtefeh Chaharmahalian
Activist, Literary writer, PoetIranMiddle East and North AfricaChaharmahalian is a literary activist, poet, and former board member of the Iranian Writers’ Association. She was arrested on October 3, 2022 after receiving phone calls warning her not to participate in the ongoing protests. On December 13, 2022, Chaharmahalian was released on a bail of $26,000; her release came…
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Conditional ReleaseAtefeh Rangriz
Activist, Online Commentator, TranslatorIranMiddle East and North AfricaRangriz is a translator, independent researcher, and activist who advocates for labor rights and women’s rights. She has been targeted by the Iranian government for years due to her writing and activism. She was arrested in June 2024 and sentenced to 7 years and 7 months in prison and banned…
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ReleasedAtena Farghadani
Activist, Creative artistIranMiddle East and North AfricaAtena Farghadani is an artist and activist. In 2014, she was sentenced to over 12 years in prison for a satirical cartoon. She was released in 2016 on appeal. Farghadani was rearrested in June 2023, likely because of her artistic work. She was released but rearrested in April 2024. She…
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ImprisonedAtikem Rozi
Online Commentator, ScholarChina/Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous RegionAsia-PacificRozi, a student of Ilham Tohti, was arrested for her involvement with Tohti’s website Uyghurbiz, which aimed to promote understanding between Uyghurs and Han Chinese. In a secret trial in 2014, she was sentenced to a lengthy prison term for her role in the website’s activities. Since 2018, she has…
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ReleasedAtnaf Berhane
Online CommentatorEthiopiaSub-Saharan AfricaBerhane is one of the Zone 9 Bloggers, a group formed in 2012 to publish political commentary online in the face of tightening restrictions on expression. The Ethiopian Supreme Court levied criminal charges against Berhane in 2017 following his initial arrest in 2014. He was arrested and acquitted of terrorism…
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ReleasedAugustine Ford
Creative artist, Singer/SongwriterLiberiaSub-Saharan AfricaRapper Ford (AKA: A.Fo4doe) was harassed and detained by police in September 2018 after he was identified as the producer of a song that critiques government corruption. He was assaulted while in custody and was released one day later.
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ReleasedAung Myint
Activist, Journalist, PoetMyanmarAsia-PacificAung Myint, prolific writer and National League for Democracy (NLD) party member, was arrested for distributing information to the international press about the repression of the NLD. Originally sentenced to 21 years in prison in 2000, he was released in 2005.
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ImprisonedAung Naing Myint
Literary writerMyanmarAsia-PacificAung Naing Myint, a novelist from Panmaw village and the author of Maya Kin Mae Zone (written under the pen name Min Di Par), was previously arrested for his writing. He was detained again on October 15, 2021, under allegations of being connected to the People’s Defense Forces (PDF), a…
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.