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
Conditional ReleaseMehdi Salimi
Online Commentator, Poet, TranslatorIranMiddle East and North AfricaIranian writer and online commentator Mehdi Salimi is known for writing on gender and politics. He was detained for a month in July 2020 and then released on bail. After being threatened over the phone, Salimi was arrested on July 7, 2020 and released on bail on August 18, 2020.…
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Conditional ReleaseMehdi Yarrahi
Singer/SongwriterIranMiddle East and North AfricaSongwriter Yarrahi was arrested in August 2023 for writing a song titled “Roosarito” (Your Headscarf), an anti-hijab and pro-women’s rights song. He was charged with “propaganda,” “corruption,” and “publishing content against decency.” After almost 2 months in detention, he was released on bail. In January 2024, he was sentenced to…
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Recorded ThreatMehedi Hassan
Literary writerBangladeshAsia-PacificAfter writing a March 2018 blog post that exposed negligence in the construction of power lines that led to the tragic death of a woman from electrocution, Mehedi Hassan became the target of both physical and online attacks. These attacks included a brutal public beating that left him near death…
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ReleasedMehmet Altan
Journalist, Literary writer, ScholarTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaIn September 2016, authorities detained Altan and his brother Ahmet for allegedly sharing subliminal messages “suggestive” of the July coup attempt during a television panel the night prior. Though his life sentence was overturned in 2019, Altan’s return to teaching was rejected. He later sued the judge responsible for his…
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ImprisonedMehmet Baransu
Journalist, Literary writerTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaBaransu 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. Despite one overturned conviction, he…
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ImprisonedMehmet Osman Kavala
Activist, PublisherTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaA 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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On TrialMehmet Sahin
JournalistTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaSahin, 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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ImprisonedMehrzad Mousavi
Literary writer, ScholarIranMiddle East and North AfricaHistorian Mousavi was arrested in November 2023. In March 2024, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison for “collusion” and “propaganda.” As of March 2025, his physical health had seriously declined while in prison. He is also subject to two years of exile, a travel ban, and restricted internet…
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Under ThreatMemduh Bayraktaroglu
Journalist, Online CommentatorTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaBayraktaroglu 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. Bayraktaroglu filed charges against MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli, citing…
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.