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
ReleasedDong Rubin
Online CommentatorChinaAsia-PacificAfter posting critical comments against Chinese authorities about alleged corruption, Dong was sentenced to six and a half years in prison in July 2014. Dong had predicted his arrest, noting that strangers raided his office in August 2013. According to ICPC, Dong is reportedly released from prison after his six…
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Conditional ReleaseDruklo
Literary writer, Online Commentator, PoetChina/Tibet Autonomous RegionAsia-PacificShokjang was arrested in 2015 and sentenced to three years in prison for inciting separatism, evidenced by his blog posts about police violence and possession of pro-Tibet books, according to the state. He was released in March 2018 but remains subject to surveillance. Authorities cited writings on religion, an essay…
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Recorded HarassmentDu Bin
Journalist, Literary writerChinaAsia-PacificFilmmaker and writer Du Bin was detained for over a month beginning on December 16, 2020 for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” ahead of the launch of his book on communism in the Soviet Union, set to publish on January 1, 2021. Authorities imposed one year of bail following Du’s…
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DetainedDuong Hong Hieu
Online CommentatorVietnamAsia-PacificDuong Hong Hieu was arrested on April 26, 2024 for allegedly “abusing democratic freedoms” under Article 331 of the Penal Code due to his Facebook posts. He is known to be critical on Facebook of Venerable Thich Chan Quang, a controversial monk known for provocative lectures on social issues, as…
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ImprisonedDuong Van Thai
Journalist, Online CommentatorVietnamAsia-PacificIndependent journalist Duong Van Thai went missing on April 14, 2023 in Bangkok, where he lived as a refugee. Duong had been critical of Vietnamese government on his Facebook page prior to his disappearance. On April 16, Vietnamese state media reported that Duong had been arrested as he was trying…
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Continued HarassmentDurai Guna
Activist, Literary writerIndiaAsia-PacificDurai Guna, a Dalit rights writer-activist, was arrested on September 2, 2019 for putting up “defamatory” signs inviting replacements for apathetic government officials. While he was released five days later, he was arrested again on September 17, 2020 for displaying satirical posters offering training to local officials. Guna was arrested…
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ReleasedDzamshid Karimov
JournalistUzbekistanEurope and Central AsiaFreelance journalist Karimov has twice been placed in psychiatric detention by Uzbek authorities–for 5 years in 2006 and again for 5 years in 2012. A nephew of former president Karimov and outspoken critic of the government, his current whereabouts are unknown.
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ReleasedDzmitryi Yurtaeyeu
Online Commentator, PoetBelarusEurope and Central AsiaYurtaeyeu, a poet and teacher, actively participated in anti-government protests in September 2022. During the protests, he was detained by Belarusian authorities and forced to read his poems on camera, which were later used as evidence against him. He was charged with “insulting Lukashenka” and “inciting social hatred” due to…
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ReleasedEdip Polat
Literary writer, ScholarTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaEdip Polat is a Kurdish writer and former teacher. He has published at least 5 books, frequently dealing with autobiographical themes. Polat has faced severe persecution and torture and has been jailed three times for writing in support of Kurdish self-determination, which authorities deemed to be “separatist propaganda,” even though…
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.