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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MurderedHrant Dink
JournalistTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaIn January 2007, Dink was murdered in Istanbul by a 17-year-old Turkish nationalist with the help of police. Prior to his death, Dink was an outspoken critic of Türkiye’s denial of the Armenian genocide and had been prosecuted three times for “denigrating Turkishness.” His assassination sparked outrage, leading to years…
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ReleasedHtin Lin Oo
Activist, Literary writerMyanmarAsia-PacificHtin Lin Oo, a former political prisoner, was first detained in December 2014 and charged with “insulting religion.” In the first hours of the military coup in February 2021 he was detained again. On February 22, 2022, he was sentenced to three years in prison under Section 505(a) for “incitement”…
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ReleasedHtun Zaw Win
Creative artist, DramatistMyanmarAsia-PacificHtun Zaw Win, also known as Wyne, is a screenwriter and director whose films have won multiple awards from the Myanmar Motion Picture Organization. His short film Ban That Scene! parodied issues of land confiscation and censorship. On February 9, 2022, he was arrested on charges of incitement. After the…
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ReleasedHu Shigen
Activist, Literary writerChinaAsia-PacificA freelance writer, Hu was detained arbitrarily in July 2015; police did not answer his family’s enquiries as to his whereabouts. He was formally arrested in January 2016 on suspicion of subverting state power and imprisoned after a short closed-door trial. Despite his development of multiple health problems in jail,…
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ReleasedHuang Jinqiu
Journalist, Literary writerChinaAsia-PacificFollowing his rise as a pro-democracy essayist and blogger in the early 2000s, Huang was arrested in 2003 and sentenced to 12 years in prison for writing “reactionary” articles online. He was released after eight years in prison in October 2011. Huang postponed news of his release until December 13,…
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DeceasedHuang Zerong
Activist, Literary writerChinaAsia-PacificVeteran writer Tie has been targeted by the Chinese government for decades. For his criticism of former Chairman Mao Zedong online and for undisclosed reasons, Tie has been in and out of detention since 2014. In March 2019, he was released from house arrest. Tie Liu was celebrated for his…
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ReleasedHui Po-keung
Editor, Literary writer, Poet, ScholarChina/Hong KongAsia-PacificHui is a professor, social commentator, and cultural studies scholar whose numerous academic publications focus on the history of capitalism, education, and the economy. In May 2022, he was arrested and detained along with 3 other pro-democracy activists for alleged conspiracy due to supporting activists through the 612 Humanitarian Relief…
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ImprisonedHura Nibakht
Activist, Online Commentator, Poet, Publisher, ScholarIranMiddle East and North AfricaActivist and scholar Nibakht was summoned to the authorities and arrested in June 2024 for “propaganda” and “insulting the Supreme Leader.” In July, she was sentenced to a year in prison. In September 2024, she began a hunger strike after facing retaliation for a published letter on women’s rights. In…
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DisappearedHussein Essou
ActivistSyriaMiddle East and North AfricaKurdish writer and political activist Hussein Essou was arrested from his home in September 2011 by Syrian Air Force Intelligence agents. He was allegedly detained for participating in anti-government protests and advocating for political reform and greater rights for Kurds in Syria. Despite reports of his detention, as of December…
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.