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
ConvictedKaan Göktas
Journalist, Literary writer, Online CommentatorTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaGoktas is journalist and online commentator who writes on cybersecurity. He was sentenced to two years in prison in 2021 for sharing a poem by Ottoman poet Sunbulzade Vehi Efendi. He was charged with insulting the president. He was physically attacked in 2022 for an article due to be published…
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Displaced/In ExileKakwenza Rukirabashaija
Literary writerUgandaSub-Saharan AfricaIn December 2021, novelist Rukirabashaija was detained for tweets criticizing President Museveni and his son. He was released in January 2022. On January 11, 2022, Rukirabashaija was secretly charged on two counts of “offensive communication,” but was released on bail 15 days later. While Rukirabashaija fled Uganda to seek medical…
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Recorded HarassmentKamalsy Najmal
Activist, Literary writerIndiaAsia-PacificMalayalam writer and theater activist Najmal was arrested for allegedly insulting the Indian national anthem in a Malayalam-language Facebook post in December 2016. He was released after three days, but has since been the target of police harassment and anonymous threats.
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Displaced/In ExileKameel Ahmady
Journalist, Literary writer, ScholarIranMiddle East and North AfricaKameel Ahmady, known for writing about women’s rights issues such as female genital mutilation and child marriage in Iran, was arrested on August 11, 2019 for unknown charges. He was arbitrarily detained for 100 days, then released on a 500 million toman bail. On December 13, 2020, Ahmady was sentenced…
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MurderedKamol Duangphasuk
PoetThailandAsia-PacificIn April 2014, the poet “Kunthee” was shot by assailants who approached his car in Northern Bangkok, then escaped by motorcycle. He died in the hospital as a result of his injuries. The motive for his murder is unknown, but may be linked to his activism about increased violence in…
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ConvictedKamran Takuk
PoetIranMiddle East and North AfricaOn January 11, 2022, Kurdish poet Kamran Takuk was arrested, taken to the Nabi Akram Corps detention center, and interrogated for six days before being released. He was convicted on February 21, 2022, and sentenced to 28 months in prison for “propaganda against the regime” and “insulting the leadership.” As…
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ReleasedKaram Saber
Activist, Literary writerEgyptMiddle East and North AfricaIn June 2013, author and land rights activist Saber was sentenced to 5 years in prison for “contempt of religion” in connection with his 2010 collection of short stories, “Where Is God?”, which tells the stories of poor farmers in Egypt. He was released in 2018.
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Conditional ReleaseKaramollah Soleimani
Creative artist, Literary writer, Online Commentator, PoetIranMiddle East and North AfricaSoleimani is a playwright, literary writer, and theater director. He was arrested on September 21, 2022 and taken to an unknown location for his support of the protests. He was released on bail on December 4, 2022. Authorities reportedly attempted to pressure him into publicly renouncing his support of the…
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ReleasedKareem Amer
Online CommentatorEgyptMiddle East and North AfricaKnown for the secular views expressed on his blog, Amer was sentenced to four years in prison for disparaging Islam and defaming the president in 2007. Upon his scheduled release in 2010, he was reportedly beaten, sent to another prison, and held illegally for ten days. He is exiled in…
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.