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
ReleasedLê Chi Quang
Literary writer, ScholarVietnamAsia-PacificQuang is a lawyer and computer teacher who has published several essays critical of the government. He was arrested in February 2002 after authorities monitored his computer use at an internet café and was sentenced to 4 years in prison. He was released in June 2004.
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ImprisonedLe Huu Minh Tuan
Journalist, Online CommentatorVietnamAsia-PacificLe Huu Minh Tuan is a journalist and online commentator in Vietnam, known for his critical writings on government policies and human rights issues. Tuan was arrested on June 5, 2020, under Article 117 of Vietnam’s Criminal Code, which criminalizes “anti-state propaganda,” and was sentenced to 11 years in prison…
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ImprisonedLe Manh Ha
Online CommentatorVietnamAsia-PacificAn online commentator, Le Manh Ha was arrested in January 2022 when police raided his house and seized 20 books, two laptop computers, and a cellphone. On October 25, 2022 he was sentenced to 8 years in prison to be followed by 5 years of house arrest for violating Article…
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Continued HarassmentLeena Manimekalai
Creative artist, PoetIndiaAsia-PacificA filmmaker and poet, Manimekalai received multiple death and rape threats after sharing a poster of her documentary film Kaali on July 2, 2022. It showed the Hindu goddess Kali smoking and holding a pride flag. In February 2023, India’s Supreme Court granted her protection against multiple legal complaints filed…
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Recorded HarassmentLeong Sze Hian
Activist, Creative artist, Journalist, Online CommentatorSingaporeAsia-PacificLeong Sze Hian, a columnist and activist, was ordered by the court to pay S$133,000 (US$98,000) in damages for sharing a Facebook post linking Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to a corruption investigation. The post, which cited an article alleging the Prime Minister’s financial corruption, led to a defamation lawsuit…
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ReleasedLéster Luis González Pentón
Activist, JournalistCubaAmericasGonzález, co-founder of the Movement for Democracy, was arrested in a 2003 roundup of dissidents known as the Black Spring and sentenced to 20 years in prison. He was released in 2010 after multilateral talks in which Cuba agreed to release those jailed in the Black Spring.
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DetainedLhamjab A. Borjigin
Literary writer, ScholarChina/Inner Mongolia Autonomous RegionAsia-PacificLhamjab writes about Mongolian culture, specializing in survivor testimonies of the political violence of the Cultural Revolution. In 2019, he was convicted on separatism charges. In September 2020, he was put under house arrest following protests for Mongolian language rights. He was arrested in May 2023, and is currently under…
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ImprisonedLhundrub Drakpa
Creative artist, Singer/SongwriterChina/Tibet Autonomous RegionAsia-PacificLhundrub Drakpa, a Tibetan singer, was detained in May 2019 shortly after releasing his song “Black Hat,” which addressed the repression of Tibetans. He was held arbitrarily for over a year, during which he was reportedly beaten and at serious risk of further torture. Denied access to a lawyer of…
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Conditional ReleaseLi Bifeng
Activist, Literary writerChinaAsia-PacificIn 2012, Li was convicted of contract fraud, though it is likely that he was targeted in retaliation for his peaceful activism and links with exiled writers. On April 7, 2020, after over eight years in prison, he was released into “enforced quarantine” at an unknown location. As of 2023,…
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.