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
Custodial/Wrongful DeathAzimjon Askarov
Activist, JournalistKyrgyzstanEurope and Central AsiaAskarov tragically passed away on July 25, 2020, after contracting pneumonia while in state custody in Kyrgyzstan. He had been serving a life sentence for alleged involvement in ethnic violence, a charge widely regarded as politically motivated due to his active advocacy for the rights of the ethnic Uzbek minority…
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ConvictedAziz Al-Ahmadi
Journalist, Online CommentatoryemenMiddle East and North AfricaOn August 15, 2024, Yemeni columnist Aziz al-Ahmadi published a Facebook post questioning whether local authorities had improperly rented land for a solar energy project instead of using public land, alongside his criticism of ongoing power outages in the province. The Shabwa prosecution subsequently accused Al-Ahmadi of spreading false information…
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Conditional ReleaseBader Al-Ibrahim
Journalist, Literary writer, ScholarSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaA dual U.S.-Saudi citizen, Bader Al-Ibrahim was part of a group of journalists and bloggers detained without charge in what is commonly referred to as the “April Campaign,” in April 2019. A doctor and author of a book on Shiite Muslim politics, his writing appeared to threaten the Saudi regime.…
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ReleasedBader Al-Rashed
Journalist, Online CommentatorSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaOn November 16, 2019, Bader Al-Rashed was one of ten writers and journalists arrested by Saudi officials. He was arrested at his home in Riyadh and authorities confiscated all of his devices. Previously, Al-Rashed had written about Islam, Saudi and regional politics, and the Kingdom’s close ties with Israel, both…
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Displaced/In ExileBadiucao
Creative artist, Literary writerChinaAsia-PacificUntil 2019, exiled Chinese dissident cartoonist and writer, based in Australia, Badiucao used a pseudonym and wore a mask to maintain his anonymity. In 2019, he revealed his identity and Chinese authorities began threatening his relatives. In March 2025, Badiucao, alongside journalist Melissa Chan, co-authored You Must Take Part in…
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DetainedBadr Mohamad Badr
Journalist, Online CommentatorEgyptMiddle East and North AfricaBadr Mohamad Badr is an Egyptian journalist and online commentator who was arrested in March 2017 on terrorism-related charges linked to his journalistic work. Since then, he has remained in prolonged pretrial detention across multiple cases, with earlier release orders overturned or not implemented. As of early 2026 updates, he…
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DetainedBahar Kurt
Creative artist, Singer/SongwriterTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaBahar Kurt is a member of the band Grup Yorum, who are known for their activism and political commentary. Since the band’s inception, its critical songs have angered the government and members have faced serious threats. Kurt has faced several brief arrests over the years including on August 5, 2020…
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ImprisonedBahruz Samadov
JournalistAzerbaijanEurope and Central AsiaIn August 2024, Samadov, a columnist, peace activist, and PhD student at Charles University in Prague, was arrested while visiting his family in Baku. He was held incommunicado for two days before appearing in court, where he was remanded to four months of pretrial detention on treason charges. Samadov, who…
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Conditional ReleaseBakhtyar Kadirbergenov
Online CommentatorUzbekistanEurope and Central AsiaAn online commentator, Kadirbergenov was arrested in July 2022 and accused of participating in and organizing the Nukus riots. He was sentenced to seven years imprisonment in January 2023. He was released in June after he appealled his sentence, which was changed to 5 years of restriced freedom. He had…
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.