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
DetainedAblajan Siyit
Editor, PublisherChina/Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous RegionAsia-PacificSiyit, the deputy editor-in-chief of the Uyghur-run Kashgar Publishing House, was detained during a sweep of arrests in 2018 for his involvement in publishing books deemed “problematic” by the Chinese government for their “improper” political content. Since his detention, his whereabouts and current well-being remain unknown, with limited information on…
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ImprisonedAblet Abdureshid Berqi
Journalist, Literary writer, Poet, ScholarChina/Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous RegionAsia-PacificBerqi, an author, teacher, and poet, has been writing since 1988. His work was published in numerous newspapers and magazines and his collection of poems, including “Girl’s Season,” essays and novels are widely acclaimed. Berqi was detained in 2017 for articles he wrote about economic awareness in Xinjiang. In 2020,…
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ImprisonedAblikim Kalkun
Creative artist, Singer/SongwriterChina/Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous RegionAsia-PacificIn late 2019, Uyghur comedian and singer Kalkun was reportedly sentenced to 18 years in prison for performing songs deemed politically sensitive, despite the fact they were earlier approved by censors. Charges against him include “separatism,” “religious extremism,” and “discriminating against national education.” Prior to this, he had also been…
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DetainedAbliz Ömer
Editor, PublisherChina/Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous RegionAsia-PacificDuring a sweep of arrests at the Uyghur-run Kashgar Publishing House, Ömer, a retired editor-in-chief, was arrested for his involvement in publishing books deemed “problematic” by the Chinese government due to their “improper” political content. His health significantly deteriorated after his arrest. Since then, his whereabouts and current wellbeing remain…
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ConvictedAbolhassan Kamali
Online Commentator, PoetIranMiddle East and North AfricaPoet Abolhassan Kamali was given a four-month suspended sentence of two years seven months imprisonment at home with an electronic handcuff on charges of blasphemy and spreading lies. The court additionally required him to attend congregational prayers in the mosque as part of his sentence. His conviction cited posts on…
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Displaced/In ExileAbraham Jiménez Enoa
Journalist, Online CommentatorCubaAmericasJiménez Enoa is a columnist at the Washington Post’s Post Opinión and a co-founder of online literary magazine El Estornudo. On October 1, 2020, he was threatened and briefly detained for writing for the Post. He has been regularly put on house arrest by state authorities: twice in 2019 and…
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DeceasedAbraham Serfaty
Activist, EditorMoroccoMiddle East and North AfricaPolitical dissident and editor of the literary magazine Souffles, Serfaty endured 17 years of imprisonment and 13 years of exile for his political views. His Moroccan citizenship was revoked upon his release from prison in 1991, but was reinstated in 1999.
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Recorded HarassmentAbu Duyanah Tamayo
Activist, Journalist, Literary writer, PoetCubaAmericasA Muslim literary writer and poet, Tamayo has faced multiple instances of harassment in Cuba. In a June 2022 interview, he claimed his internet access was deliberately cut off as part of an ongoing campaign to silence his activism. In October 2022, it was reported that Tamayo was prevented from…
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ImprisonedAdel Banaima
Journalist, Online CommentatorSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaBanaima, a lecturer at the University of Umm Al-Qura in Mecca and editor-in-chief of Jusoor Magazine, was arrested and detained without charge in September 2017. Information about his status and condition has been extremely limited, but in January 2023 it was reported that he had been sentenced to a 4-year…
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.