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 HarassmentAshraful Hussain
Poet, ScholarIndiaAsia-PacificHussain is one of the “Miya” (Bengali-language Muslim) poets charged in July 2019 after the online publication of a poem by Hafiz Ahmed that authorities claimed promoted sectarian enmity in the state of Assam. On July 17, 2019, all ten poets were granted anticipatory bail. He is currently a MLA…
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Displaced/In ExileAslı Erdoğan
Journalist, Literary writerTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaNovelist and occasional columnist for pro-Kurdish Özgür Gündem, Aslı Erdoğan was detained after the 2016 coup attempt. Conditionally released four months later, she escaped to Germany. In February 2020, she was formally acquitted, but this was appealed in June. In February 2022, a court decided to uphold her acquittal. In…
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ReleasedAsma Al-Subaie
Online Commentator, ScholarSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaAsma Al-Subaie is a student and human rights defender who has advocated for the Bedouin minority and for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, including criticizing state-imposed religious regulations. In June 2021, her home was raided and she was arrested for tweets she published condemning the severe punishments imposed on activists…
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Conditional ReleaseAsma N Hreash
Journalist, Online CommentatorIsrael/Occupied Palestinian TerritoryMiddle East and North AfricaOn April 3, 2024, journalist Asma Hreash was arrested and sentenced to six months in administrative detention without charges due to several Facebook posts she published on the war in Gaza. While she was released on October 2, 2024, Hreash’s brother recieved a call from an Israeli officer threatening her…
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ReleasedAsmamaw Hailegiorgis
Online CommentatorEthiopiaSub-Saharan AfricaHailegiorgis 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. Following his initial arrest in 2014, he was released in 2015. He and fellow members were later acquitted of terrorism charges. However, criminal charges…
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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…
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.