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
ImprisonedAye Ko
PoetMyanmarAsia-PacificAye Ko, a poet and state officer, was arrested on March 11, 2021 after posting letters and poems on Facebook concerning the coup. He was tried and sentenced in November 2021 to three years in prison under Section 505(a) of the penal code, which criminalizes “incitement.” Although he is belived…
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Conditional ReleaseAyman Al-Drees
Online Commentator, TranslatorSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaThe U.S.-educated Al-Drees was arrested in April 2019 amid a broader crackdown on activists and writers advocating for women’s rights and expressing support for detained women’s rights defenders. He was released on bail in early 2021 due to international pressure but continues to face trial proceedings. As of March 2021,…
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Continued HarassmentAyşe Berktay
Activist, Literary writer, Scholar, TranslatorTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaAlongside her literary career, Berktay is a staunch advocate for women’s and Kurdish rights. In October 2011, she was arrested on charges of “membership in an illegal organization” related to her pro-Kurdish cultural activities. She spent over two years in jail before being released pending trial in January 2014. In…
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ReleasedAyşe Düzkan
Journalist, Literary writerTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaOn May 3, 2016, the trial of Ayşe Düzkan began because of her participation in a Kurdish solidarity campaign as well as her position at pro-Kurdish newspaper Özqür Gündem. On January 29, 2019, Düzkan was officially arrested and charged with “making propaganda for a terrorist organization.” She was sentenced to…
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DeceasedAyşe Nur Zarakolu
Literary writer, PublisherTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaAuthor and activist Ayşe Nur Zarakolu was the founder of the Freedom to Publish Commission and was a pioneering female figure in Türkiye’s literary world. A political essayist herself, she was arrested over 30 times over the course of her lifetime for her writings on taboo subjects like the Armenian…
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ImprisonedAytekin Gezici
Journalist, Literary writerTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaGezici is a prominent political commentator, Zaman reporter, and author of more than 25 books on Turkish politics. He has been accused of “violating confidentiality” in his books and “insulting President Erdoğan through social media” for his writing. Facing charges since 2014, Gezici was detained in 2016 and has reportedly…
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On TrialAzad Zal
Journalist, Literary writer, Poet, PublisherTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaA writer, former journalist, translator, and Kurdish-language teacher, Zal was released in 2004 after spending 12 years in prison. He was arrested again in June 2020 and accused of being a member of a terrorist organization. He was sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in prison in March 2022.…
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Conditional ReleaseAzamat Nuratdinov
Journalist, Online CommentatorUzbekistanEurope and Central AsiaAzamat Nuratdinov is an Uzbek blogger and reporter for El Khyzmetinde who was arrested in July 2022 and charged with inciting riots through distribution of propagandistic material. On January 31, 2023, Nuratdinov was convicted of “distribution of materials harmful to public safety” and “using the media, including the internet.” He…
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Conditional ReleaseAzhdar Piri Sarmanlou
Editor, Journalist, ScholarIranMiddle East and North AfricaAzhdar Piri Sarmanlou, a Kurdish Iranian journalist, columnist, scholar, and editor-in-chief of Research of Nations, was arrested on October 21, 2024, at his home and later released on bail in November 2024. In January 2025, he was sentenced to one year in prison for “propaganda” and banned from online activity…
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.