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
ReleasedHajooj Kuka
Creative artistSudanSub-Saharan AfricaIn August 2020, authorities raided a cultural center in Khartoum where Kuka and other artists were rehearsing a play at a threater workshop, following a reported noise complaint. Kuka, however, claims that non-state actors physically attacked participants of the workshop. In September, Kuka was briefly jailed on public nuisance charges…
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ReleasedHanım Büşra Erdal
JournalistTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaReporter and columnist Erdal was detained in a sweep of journalists writing for Zaman, a newspaper forced to close after the failed 2016 coup, and sentenced on terrorism charges. She was denied adequate medical care in prison. In April 2021, Erdal was released from prison.
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ReleasedHanna Komar
Poet, TranslatorBelarusEurope and Central AsiaPoet and activist Komar was detained on September 8, 2020 during a peaceful march in support of detained activists. She served nine days of administrative arrest in Akrestsina and Zhodzina prisons, and has continued to be harassed by the state. She received further summons from the Zavadski district police department…
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Recorded HarassmentHansda Sowvendra Shekhar
Journalist, Literary writerIndiaAsia-PacificShekhar is a doctor and writer targeted for his writing on the Santhal community. In August 2017, after protestors burned his effigy and books, local authorities banned the sale of his work and dismissed him from his post. The ban was lifted and Shekhar re-assigned in 2018.
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DetainedHany Babu
Literary writer, ScholarIndiaAsia-PacificA professor of English literature and language, Babu faces charges of “propagating” communist activities, Maoist ideologies, and plotting anti-state attacks as part of the baseless Bhima Koregaon crackdown on numerous writers and intellectuals. He was hospitalized for a severe eye infection in May 2021 after being repeatedly denied medical treatment,…
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DeceasedHasan Basri Aydın
Literary writer, ScholarTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaWriter and retired literature professor Hasan Basri Aydın has been imprisoned 27 times for his writing. He was detained at the airport in September 2020 on charges of insulting two officials after returning to Istanbul for medical treatment. He was officially arrested and then released into house arrest, and was…
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ReleasedHasan Cemal
Journalist, Literary writerTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaHasan Cemal, a prolific author, columnist, and former newspaper editor, has been continually harrassed, slapped with legal charges, and detained due to his opinion writing. He is currently on trial for “insulting the president” in two tweets he posted in 2016 and 2020, and is facing up to eight years…
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ReleasedHaseeb Ahrari
PoetAfghanistanAsia-PacificA poet who writes on themes of freedom and patriotism, Ahrari was arrested in his home in Kabul by the Taliban upon his return from a trip to Iran on June 1, 2023. His family expressed concern about his fate after being allowed to visit him in detention. The motive…
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On TrialHassan Nafaa
Journalist, ScholarEgyptMiddle East and North AfricaPolitical science professor Nafaa was arrested in September 2019 just days after he criticized President El-Sisi in the press. His detention was part of a wave of 1,400 dissident arrests in the wake of mass protests against the Sisi regime. He was released in March 2020. In August 2021, hours…
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.