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
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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Custodial/Wrongful DeathHumkar Dorje Rinopche
Literary writer, ScholarChina/Tibet Autonomous RegionAsia-PacificHumkar Dorje Rinopche is a Tibetan spiritual leader, writer, educator, and advocate for Tibetan language and culture. His writings include The Melodious Sound of the Laughter of the Vidyadharas of the Three Lineages and Tangkas In Golog: The Tangka Album of Lung-ngon Monastery. While in Vietnam in late March 2025,…
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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…
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DetainedHuynh Ngoc Tuan
Journalist, Literary writer, Online CommentatorVietnamAsia-PacificHuynh Ngoc Tuan is a long-time journalist and writer, who has faced government harassment, including home raids, surveillance, travel restrictions, and confiscation of his devices. In October 2025, he was arrested at his home in Dak Lak province for his online writing and charged with violating Article 117. He previously…
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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…
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.