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
Displaced/In ExileDalia Ziada
Literary writer, Online Commentator, ScholarEgyptMiddle East and North AfricaAuthor and political analyst Dalia Ziada fled Egypt in 2023 after receiving threats for her condemnation of Hamas and support for Israel after the October 7th attacks. On November 3, 2023, a legal complaint accusing her of spying and spreading false news was submitted to the attorney general. On April…
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Recorded HarassmentDamodar Mauzo
Dramatist, Literary writerIndiaAsia-PacificWhen investigating the 2017 murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh, police investigators received intelligence that Mauzo, a writer, was another potential target. Goa police have provided him with a security detail. He received the Jnanpith Award, India’s highest literary honor, in 2021 for his lifetime contribution to Konkani literature. Despite continued…
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Recorded HarassmentDan Garrett
Journalist, Literary writerChina/Hong KongAsia-PacificOn September 26, 2019, Garrett, a photographer, author, and academic, was barred entry to Hong Kong for unspecified “immigration reasons” after having testified to the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China about protests in the territory. His case has since been cited in press coverage of Hong Kong’s tightening border controls.…
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ImprisonedDanat Namazbaev
Online CommentatorKazakhstanEurope and Central AsiaNamazbaev is a blogger and economist who uses Facebook to post political commentary that is critical of Russia, including its war on Ukraine. He was arrested with Marghulan Bornabai in 2020. He was charged with “inciting ethnic hatred,” and was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison on March…
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ImprisonedDang Dang Phuoc
Online Commentator, ScholarVietnamAsia-PacificDang Dang Phuoc is a blogger and music lecturer at Dak Lak College in the province of Dak Lak. He shares his knowledge about music, education, and his political views on his blog which attracts more than 3.5 million viewers. In September 2022, Dang was arrested for “spreading anti-state propaganda”…
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DeceasedDang Phuc Tue
Activist, ScholarVietnamAsia-PacificTue was a patriarch of the banned Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam who became the public face of religious dissent in the country. He spent his last 30 years in and out of prison, having been effectively detained under house arrest since 2003. He died on February 22, 2020.
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Continued HarassmentDang Thi Hue
Activist, Online CommentatorVietnamAsia-PacificIn January 2019, Dang Thi Hue was kidnapped by the Thai Binh authorities and forced to sign a commitment regarding the BOT-related content she had posted on Facebook. Previously on May 8, 2020, she was sentenced to a total of 42 months in prison. After her release in early 2023,…
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DetainedDanial Moghadam
Creative artist, Online Commentator, Singer/SongwriterIranMiddle East and North AfricaMoghadam, an actor and protest rapper, was first summoned along with his group of musicians in November 2023 for a music video protesting violence against women. A few months later, Moghadam was arrested with rapper Vafa Ahmadpour on “propaganda” and “conspiracy” charges, and detained for over two months before being…
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Conditional ReleaseDaniel Ghezeljai
Online Commentator, Poet, ScholarIranMiddle East and North AfricaAn Iranian Turkman law student and poet, Daniel Ghezeljai was arrested for posting a poem in solidarity with Iranian women on November 16, 2022. He was facing charges of “belligerence,” which could result in a death penalty sentence. He was released temporarily on bail on December 29, 2022. He was…
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.