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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In September 2016, authorities detained Altan and his brother Ahmet for allegedly giving subliminal messages “suggestive” of the July coup attempt during a television panel the night prior. Though his life sentence was overturned in 2019, his return to teaching was rejected.
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Baransu has been detained since March 2015 for his reporting on an alleged coup attempt that referenced leaked military documents. He faces charges in at least four distinct court cases. In July 2020, he was sentenced to 19.5 years in prison on national security charges.
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A noted philanthropist and publisher focusing on promoting intercultural understanding, Kavala was setting up a cultural center for Syrian refugees when he was detained on terrorism charges in late 2017. He was sentenced to life in prison on April 25, 2022 for “attempting to overthrow the government.” His life sentence…
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Sahin, a Kurdish columnist, has faced ongoing persecution since 2016, including job dismissal and lawsuits. In June 2022, Sahin was arrested along with 15 other Kurdish journalists in Diyarbakir as part of a series of mass raids and arrests of journalists on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization.” He…
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Bayraktaroglu is a columnist for Korkusuz newspaper. On February 24, 2023 a group of alleged ultranationalists attempted to raid his home following a tweet he posted two days earlier. The International Press Institute condemned the attacks and called for an investigation.
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Boriyar was one of 14 staff members at the Uyghur-run Kashgar Publishing House to be arrested and detained in 2018 for his role in the publication of books deemed “problematic” for their “improper” political content. His current whereabouts are unknown.
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Şimşek is a Kurdish writer targeted for her poetry and other writings. She faces multiple trials on spurious “terrorism” charges. In June 2021, she was detained while trying to flee Türkiye by Greek authorities and was deported after being beaten and strip searched. In October 2022, she was convicted of…
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Writer Yanardağ faced 2 separate trials in 2023. He was tried for “insulting the president” starting in March, on charges stemming from a 2022 article. Additionally, he was detained in June after criticizing Abdullah Öcalan’s treatment in prison and tried for “terrorist propaganda.” He was acquitted of this and released…
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In 2006, Kilo was arrested after signing a declaration in support of diplomatic relations between Syria and Lebanon. He was sentenced to three years in prison for spreading false news, weakening national feeling, and inciting sectarian sentiments. He was released in 2009. He passed away from COVID-19 at age 81…
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.