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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DetainedMemetjan Abliz Boriyar
Literary writer, Publisher, ScholarChina/Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous RegionAsia-PacificBoriyar 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” by the Chinese government for their “improper” political content. Boriyar had approved the release of more than 100 books that…
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Displaced/In ExileMeral Şimşek
Literary writer, PoetTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaŞimşek 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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ConvictedMerdan Yanardağ
Journalist, Literary writer, Online CommentatorTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaJournalist Yanardağ faced two trials in 2023. He was tried for “insulting the president” starting in March, based on a 2022 article, and was acquitted in November. He was also detained in June after criticizing Abdullah Öcalan’s treatment in prison and tried for “terrorist propaganda,” but was acquitted and released…
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DeceasedMichel Kilo
Journalist, TranslatorSyriaMiddle East and North AfricaIn 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…
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Displaced/In ExileMiguel Mendoza Urbina
Journalist, Online CommentatorNicaraguaAmericasA former sports journalist in Nicaragua, Miguel Mendoza Urbina began publishing his dissident political opinions on Twitter and Facebook where he has a significant following. On June 21, 2021, Urbina was detained on vague charges with no evidence. On February 16, 2022, he was sentenced to nine years in prison,…
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Under ThreatMikeas Sanchez Gomez
Literary writer, PoetMexicoAmericasOn November 7, 2024, indigenous Zoque poet Mikeas Sánchez Gómez announced on her Facebook that she had been receiving repeated death threats. She also received a threatening phone call which named her friend and collaborator Father Marcelo Pérez, a prominent indigenous and human rights advocate who was assassinated on October…
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Displaced/In ExileMikhail Zyghar
Creative artist, Journalist, Literary writer, Online CommentatorRussiaEurope and Central AsiaMikhail Zyghar is a Russian journalist, filmmaker, and author who fled Russia for Germany in 2022 after being officially designated a “foreign agent” by the Russian authorities. On July 23, 2024, while reportedly in New York, Zyghar was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for “disseminating false…
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ImprisonedMikola Dziadok
Activist, Literary writer, Online CommentatorBelarusEurope and Central AsiaDziadok is a Belarusian writer and blogger known for his outspoken criticism of the government. On November 12, 2020, he was arrested on charges related to a “public order offense.” His home was raided, and he was severely beaten during his arrest. Later, he was charged with anti-state crimes due…
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ReleasedMikola Papieka
PoetBelarusEurope and Central AsiaIn September 2020, poet and beekeeper Papieka participated in a “karahod,” a form of cultural protest used to show resistance to President Lukashenka’s rule. In November, he was detained for three days. He was sentenced in June 2021 to two years in a “khimiya,” where he was permitted to work…
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.