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
ReleasedDaler Sharifov
Journalist, Literary writerTajikistanEurope and Central AsiaOn January 28, 2020, authorities detained Sharifov in a home raid and later charged him with inciting ethnic, racial, and religious hatred. In April 2020, he was sentenced to one year in prison for his dissertation on Muslim theology, which was deemed “hate speech” for including quotes by two leaders…
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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 Faraji
Online Commentator, Singer/SongwriterIranMiddle East and North AfricaDanial Faraji is a rapper known by the stage name Meshki. His music often involves political commentary. He has written lyrics supporting the Mahsa Amini protests and criticizing Iran’s June 2025 war with Israel. He was briefly arrested in April 2025 and was reported as missing for a period of…
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.