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
Conditional ReleaseFahad Al-Fahad
Activist, Online CommentatorSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaAl-Fahad, a Saudi journalist and social media commentator, was arrested in April 2016 after posting criticisms of the Saudi government’s criminal justice system and widespread corruption. His statements were deemed violations of Saudi cybercrime laws. He was subsequently sentenced to five years in prison. In addition to his prison term,…
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Conditional ReleaseFahad Shah
Editor, Journalist, Online CommentatorIndiaAsia-PacificShah, a Kashmiri editor and columnist, was arrested in February 2022 for publishing “anti-national content.” After being held for 22 days without heat or electricity and then briefly released on bail, he was re-arrested. In April 2022, Shah was booked for a third time under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.…
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Continued HarassmentFahmi Reza
Activist, Creative artist, Online CommentatorMalaysiaAsia-PacificReza is a political activist and cartoonist who draws political cartoons and graphic art, which he posts on social media. He describes his work as a medium of protest that acts as a catalyst for social change. He has been charged multiple times in the past 20 years. He was…
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MurderedFaisal Arefin Deepan
PublisherBangladeshAsia-PacificDeepan, a publisher of secular books, was stabbed to death by extremists in 2015. In late 2019, eight militants were indicted in a murder case filed on Deepan’s behalf, and in February 2021 the eight members of the extremist group Ansar al-Islam, also known as Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), were…
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Conditional ReleaseFajer Al-Saeed
Creative artist, Journalist, Online CommentatorKuwaitMiddle East and North AfricaFajer al-Saeed was detained on January 10, 2025 for promoting normalization with Israel and harming national interest, and on February 9, 2025 for insulting Iraq. On February 13, a Kuwaiti criminal court sentenced Al-Saeed to three years in prison with labor for broadcasting false news and misusing information networks. He…
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ReleasedFaraj Ahmad Birqdar
Journalist, PoetSyriaMiddle East and North AfricaSyrian poet and activist Birqdar was arrested in March 1987 on suspicion of being a member of Syria’s Party for Communist Action. He was held without trial for 6 years, and was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment in 1993. He was released in 2000, and left the country.
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ConvictedFaramarz Sehdehi
Online Commentator, PoetIranMiddle East and North AfricaSehdehi is a poet and a member of the Iranian Writers’ Association who has published hundreds of poems since the 1970s. He has been interrogated and censored in the past for his work. In April 2022, he was charged with “propaganda against the regime” for his poetry and social media…
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Conditional ReleaseFardin Mostafei
Journalist, Online CommentatorIranMiddle East and North AfricaFardin Mostafaei is a Kurdish journalist and news agency director who also runs a Telegram channel covering local news, culture, and Kurdish issues. In November 2023, Mostafaei was summoned by the authorities for “propaganda” and “disturbing the public mind.” On September 18, 2024, he was arrested for unknown charges in…
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Recorded HarassmentFarhat Khan
Literary writer, ScholarIndiaAsia-PacificDr. Khan wrote Collective Violence and Criminal Justice System, a book first published in 2015. Her publisher received complaints about some parts of the book being controversial, which led to the pages being taken out. In December 2022, a student complained about her for allegedly teaching “anti-Hindu” content. She 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.