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
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…
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ImprisonedAbdulhadi Al-Khawaja
Activist, Literary writer, PoetBahrainMiddle East and North AfricaIn the 1990s, Danish-Bahraini activist Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja was exiled to Denmark. He returned to Bahrain in 2001 but was arrested in September 2004 after condemning the Prime Minister’s role in human rights abuses and Bahrain’s poor economic development. Following his release by royal pardon that October, he played a key…
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Continued HarassmentAbdulhakim Al-Fadhil
Activist, Online CommentatorKuwaitMiddle East and North AfricaAbdulhakim Al-Fadhli, a Kuwaiti activist and commentator, has faced repeated harassment for his work defending the Bidoon community. Between 2012 and 2019, he was detained multiple times for peaceful protests, enduring solitary confinement, hunger strikes, and alleged torture. In 2022–2024, he was repeatedly summoned and fined over social media posts…
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ImprisonedAbduljalil Al-Singace
Online Commentator, ScholarBahrainMiddle East and North AfricaAwarded the PEN Pinter international writer of courage prize in 2022, Al-Singace is serving a life sentence for his human rights activism. Suffering from post-polio syndrome, his health has severely declined during his detention. He began an extended hunger strike in July 2021 to protest poor conditions, mistreatment, and confiscation…
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DeceasedAbdullah Abu Sharkh
Literary writer, Online CommentatorPalestinian TerritoriesMiddle East and North AfricaWriter Abdullah Mohammed Abu Sharkh was detained by Hamas forces on March 13, 2020 and interrogated about social media posts in which he had criticized the Hamas authorities. Charged with “spreading false news” and “misuse of technology,” he was released on April 9. Abu Sharkh passed away on September 17,…
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On TrialAbdullah Al-Duhailan
Journalist, Literary writerSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaAl-Duhailan, a novelist and advocate for Palestinian rights, was arrested in April 2019 without an official reason, after reporting on Saudi women defying the driving ban. In early 2021, he was conditionally released with other activists and writers. Despite this, he remains on trial, but no public dates have been…
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DetainedAbdullah al-Yahya
Literary writer, ScholarSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaAbdullah al-Yahya is a Saudi scholar and writer who was arrested on December 24, 2021 following social media posts about normalization with Israel. He was held incommunicado for several months after his arrest. As of February 2025, he has been detained for over 1,460 days without trial and without regular…
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MurderedAbdullah Atefi
Literary writer, Poet, ScholarAfghanistanAsia-PacificAbdullah Atefi, a historian, writer, and poet, was a public figure whose extensive body of work focused on Pashtun culture and literature and was regularly featured in regional publications. Atefi was taken from his home in Afghanistan’s Uruzgan province and murdered on August 4, 2021; reports say he was also…
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.