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.
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A columnist and online commentator, Diab has written opinion pieces on international issues for the Al-Ahram state-run newspaper. He was arrested at Cairo International Airport as he was boarding his flight to China on September 6, 2022. Two months later, he was charged with conspiracy against the state.
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Shawkan was arrested while taking photos of the Rabaa Massacre in August 2013 and initially faced the death penalty due to a slew of arbitrary charges. While he was released in March 2019, he must spend every night in a police station. His case is currently under appeal.
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A literary writer, poet, and member of the Bahai community, Mahvash Sabet was arrested in July 2022. In November, she was sentenced to 10 years in prison on national security charges in a speedy trial. According to fellow prisoner Narges Mohammedi, Sabet suffered torture and ill treatment in custody, and…
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Sociology professor Islam was arrested in September 2018 for online comments about Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina. He was suspended from his university position. In August 2023, he received a court order threatening him with legal repercussions for Facebook posts.
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A Marxist historian, Kinyatti served six years in prison from 1982-1988 for his criticism of authoritarian president Daniel arap Moi. During his time in prison, he was severely mistreated and spent most time in solitary confinement. He is now in political asylum in the US.
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Activist Tavakoli has been targeted by authorities since 2006. He was arrested at his home on September 23, 2022 for his online commentary in support of the protests in Iran. He was released on bail on December 19, 2022. In July 2023, he was sentenced to 6 years in prison…
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Playwright and filmmaker Dewapriya was reportedly interrogated by police for four hours in October 2019 after a Buddhist monk accused him of distorting Buddhist terminology in his radio series “Kanata Parak” (Earful of Visuals).
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Bidali is a Kenyan blogger and security guard who writes about migrant workers’ experiences in Qatar, where he lived for three years. On May 4, 2021, he was detained in solitary and investigated for spreading disinformation and publishing false news. After his release on bail after 28 days, Bidali left…
Writers at Risk Database Key:
STATUS box that is red: Active case
STATUS box that is black: Inactive case
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.
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.