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
ReleasedEmre Soncan
Journalist, Literary writer, Online CommentatorTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaOn July 24, 2016, foreign military affairs correspondent and author Emre Soncan was arrested in a sweep of arrests of suspected followers of exiled preacher Fethullah Gülen, who was blamed for attempted coup earlier that month. Citing a book Soncan wrote about former Presideny Abdullah Gül, interviews he gave, and…
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Conditional ReleaseEnder Imrek
JournalistTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaEnder İmrek has faced persistent legal harassment over the course of his career. Known for his opinion writing in Evrensel newspaper, İmrek has been repeatedly targeted for his critical stance toward the Turkish government, particularly President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the presidential administration. He went on trial in October 2022…
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Displaced/In ExileEnoh Meyomesse
Activist, Literary writer, Online CommentatorCameroonSub-Saharan AfricaWriter, blogger, historian, and political activist Enoh Meyomesse was arrested in November 2011 for attempting to organize a coup following a failed presidential bid challenging the 30-year rule of President Paul Biya. He served three years in prison and was released in April 2015. As of October 2022, Meyomesse has…
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Continued HarassmentEnrique Márquez Jaramillo
Literary writer, Poet, ScholarMexicoAmericasMárquez Jaramillo is an award-winning historian, political scientist, and former politician who has published more than 30 books. In August 2022, he received two death threats for his criticism of the president. The threats are believed to have been related to an article in the El Universal newspaper. He reported…
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ReleasedEnver Aysever
Journalist, Online Commentator, ScholarTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaA sociologist and former columnist for the independent newspaper Cumhuriyet, Aysever was arrested in March 2021 for “provoking the public to hatred and hostility” by tweeting a political cartoon that appeared to criticize conservative Muslims in Türkiye. Released after one day, his column was terminated a few weeks later. In…
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Continued HarassmentErgün Poyraz
Literary writer, Online CommentatorTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaPoyraz is a literary writer known for his controversial critiques of the ruling AKP and the Gülen movement. His bestseller The Children of Moses accused President Erdoğan and his wife of conspiring with Israeli intelligence to undermine Turkish secularism. On April 12, 2022, he was violently attacked outside his home.…
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MurderedEric Ohena Lembembe
Activist, Literary writerCameroonSub-Saharan AfricaLembembe, a prominent Cameroonian LGBTQ+ rights activist and journalist, was brutally murdered on July 15, 2013, in Yaoundé, Cameroon. He was found tortured and killed in his apartment, and his death was widely believed to be linked to his advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights. Although Cameroonian authorities initially opened an investigation…
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Displaced/In ExileErk Acarer
Journalist, Literary writer, Online CommentatorTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaAcarer is a Turkish columnist and author who has been living in exile in Berlin since 2017. On July 7, 2021, he was attacked outside of his home by assailants he suspected were associated with the ruling AKP-MHP government. A few days later, Acarer appeared on a hit list of…
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ImprisonedErmek Taichibekov
Online CommentatorKazakhstanEurope and Central AsiaInitially detained in 2017 for pro-Russian comments online and released after serving less than two years of his sentence, online commentator Taichibekov was rearrested in September 2020. He was found guilty of charges of “inciting ethnic discord” and sentenced to seven years in prison in August 2021. Reports in 2024…
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.