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 DeathAbduhadi Kasheet
Journalist, Literary writerSyriaMiddle East and North AfricaWriter and journalist Abduhadi Kasheet was arrested in July 2013 by the Air Force Intelligence Branch in Aleppo. His death, initially reported in October 2013, was later confirmed by the Syrian government. Kasheet is among thousands of Syrian citizens who have been killed in detention. Kasheet was known for his…
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DeceasedAbdukerim Rahman
Literary writer, ScholarChina/Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous RegionAsia-PacificRahman is a renowned academic specializing in Uyghur folklore who has authored over 20 books, including History of Uyghur Culture and Uyghur Folk Literature. Reports indicate that Rahman was arrested in January 2018 and detained for one year. He passed away in August 2020.
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ImprisonedAbdukholil Kholikzoda
Literary writerTajikistanEurope and Central AsiaThe author of the memoir The Events of My Life, Kholikzoda was arrested in August 2023 and copies of his memoir were confiscated by authorities. The Tajik prosecutor accused him of “insulting the Tajik people,” “inciting hatred,” and “instigating instability and threatening national security.” He was sentenced to 6.5 years…
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ImprisonedAbdukodir Rustam
Editor, Literary writerTajikistanEurope and Central AsiaRustam, a writer and editor, was arrested in August 2023 for editing Abdukholik Kholikzoda’s memoir Events of My Life. Copies of the book were confiscated by authorities, while Rustam and Kholikzoda were accused of “inciting hatred.” In February 2024, Rustam was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison. The case has…
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On TrialAbdul Aziz Al-Muzaini
ScreenwriterSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaFounder of Myrkott Company, film producer, and writer Abdel Aziz al-Muzaini was sentenced to 13 years in prison and a 13-year travel ban by Saudi Arabia’s Terrorism Court for “promoting terrorism and homosexuality through his Netflix show” and old tweets from 2010-2014. On June 27, 2024, a Saudi court upheld…
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Recorded HarassmentAbdul Kalam Azad
Online Commentator, PoetIndiaAsia-PacificAzad 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 after a police case was…
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DetainedAbdul Rahman Yusuf Al-Qaradawi
Online Commentator, PoetUnited Arab EmiratesMiddle East and North AfricaBanned from publishing in Egypt after the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, Egyptian-Turkish poet and activist Al-Qaradawi relocated to Turkey. In 2017, an Egyptian court verdict sentenced him, in absentia, to 5 years in prison for spreading “false news.” In December 2024, he was arrested in Lebanon after posting a video celebrating…
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ReleasedAbdulaziz Al-Dukhail
Literary writer, ScholarSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaOn April 25, 2020, Al-Dukhail was arrested and detained without formal charges for a tweet he posted in support of the activist Abdullah Al-Hamid following his death. According to his son, Al-Dukhail was held at Al-Ha’ir Prison, south of Riyadh. His son publicly advocated for his release, including in a…
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ReleasedAbdulaziz Al-Hais
Journalist, ScholarSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaAl-Hais, who had written about the Arab Spring and the roles that intellectuals play in the Middle East, was arrested from his home in November 2019 as part of a wave of arrests. He was released later that month after international pressure calling for his release. He had contributed to…
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.