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
ImprisonedHuynh Thuc Vy
Activist, Journalist, Literary writer, Online CommentatorVietnamAsia-PacificHuynh was arrested and sentenced to two years and seven months in prison in November 2018 related to her blogging about human rights issues, including the dire situation of political prisoners. In December 2021, she was arrested and detained in order to fulfill her sentence. In February 2022, authorities transferred…
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ReleasedIbrahim Al-Husseini
Literary writer, Online CommentatorEgyptMiddle East and North AfricaAward-winning author and playwright Al-Husseini was arrested in December 2018 on charges of “inciting protests” for social media posts criticizing authoritarian rule and religious extremism in Egypt. He was released on bail in February 2019, but authorities seized many of his books and electronic devices. His play Bab Eshq (The…
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Deceasedİbrahim Gökçek
Creative artist, Singer/SongwriterTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaGökçek was a member of activist folk band Grup Yorum. From the band’s inception, its critical songs have angered the Turkish state, and members have faced severe threats. Released from prison in early 2020, Gökçek died on May 7, 2 days after ending his 323-day hunger strike. His funeral in…
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ReleasedIbrahim Salamov
Creative artist, Online CommentatorAzerbaijanEurope and Central AsiaIn May 2020 the head of the Mingachevir Public Utilities Department filed a lawsuit against blogger Salamov and Elchin Hasanzade for writing articles that speculated about corrupt practices in the department. The pair was sentenced to community service for “slander” and “defamation”; however, on appeal in March 2021, their sentence…
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Displaced/In ExileIdrak Mirzalizade
Creative artistRussiaEurope and Central AsiaBelarusian stand-up comedian Mirzalizade was attacked by two men in June 2021 for a joke that was alleged to be insulting to ethnic Russians. In August, he was sentenced to 10 days in prison. Following his imprisonment, Miralizade was banned from visiting Russia until 2035. He filed a lawsuit against…
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DetainedIdris Mohammed Ali
Singer/SongwriterEritreaSub-Saharan AfricaAli, a popular Tigrinya-language singer/songwriter, was arrested in November 2005 without charge. He was detained incommunicado, with no public explanation from the Eritrean government regarding his arrest. Over the years, rumors of his death have circulated widely on social media and various online platforms, though these reports have never been…
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DetainedIdris Nurillah
Poet, TranslatorChina/Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous RegionAsia-PacificIdris Nurillah is a Uyghur poet and small business owner who ran a wine shop. In the fall of 2017, he was detained, his shop was shut down, and his family and friends have received no news of him since. Nurillah had published his own poetry and completed the first…
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DetainedIdris Said
Journalist, Literary writerEritreaSub-Saharan AfricaSaid is an Eritrean writer and journalist who has been detained since October 2001. At the time of his arrest, he was a civil servant at the Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare and contributed to both the government-run Arabic daily Eritrea Al-Haditha and the privately owned weekly Tsigenay. He…
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Displaced/In ExileIhar Bancer
Activist, Creative artist, Singer/SongwriterBelarusEurope and Central AsiaBancer, a lyricist and frontman for band Mister X, was detained in October 2020 for his partially nude protest in front of police. He was charged with hooliganism, likely due to his artistic profile and activism. After serving a total of roughly a year in a correctional facility, he 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.