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
-
Status
MurderedLokman Slim
Creative artist, Journalist, Literary writer, PublisherLebanonMiddle East and North AfricaSlim was a renowned writer, columnist, and documentary filmmaker. He was the co-owner of the publishing house Dar al-Jadeed. In the days leading up to his assassination, Slim published several anti-government Facebook posts. He was found dead on February 4, 2021 after being shot five times. His killing is believed…
-
Status
Conditional ReleaseLolagul Kallykhanova
Journalist, Online CommentatorUzbekistanEurope and Central AsiaLolagul Kallykhanova is a columnist and owner of a news site Makan. She advocates for Karakalpak autonomy and is critical of the Uzbek central government. She disappeared in June 2022 after she published a piece opposing changes to the Uzbek constitution. After months of detention, she was found guilty of…
-
Status
ReleasedLong Puthera
Singer/SongwriterCambodiaAsia-PacificAfter the arrest of fellow rapper Kea Sokun, Long Puthera was detained in September 2020 for his song about income inequality. Found guilty of “incitement,” he was sentenced to 5 months in prison but was released in December 2020 after having spent several months in pretrial detention. Puthera expressed remorse…
-
Status
Continued HarassmentLoqman Qanbari
Activist, Journalist, Literary writer, TranslatorIranMiddle East and North AfricaKurdish writer, translator, and journalist Loqman Qanbari is currently in hiding for his safety. Since 2014 he has been repeatedly threatened for political criticism and over the Mahsa Amini protests as well as had publications cancelled by Iranian authorities. Most recently, in April 2024, he was arrested for “collusion with…
-
Status
Conditional ReleaseLoujain Al-Hathloul
Activist, Online CommentatorSaudi ArabiaMiddle East and North AfricaAl-Hathloul, a women’s rights advocate, was detained in a sweep of arrests in May 2018 and held for 1,000 days in prison, during which time she was reportedly tortured and assaulted. In December 2020, she was found “guilty” of broad terrorism charges and sentenced to nearly six years in prison.…
-
Status
ReleasedLü Gengsong
Activist, Literary writerChinaAsia-PacificIn 2016, Lü Gengsong was sentenced to 11 years in prison on charges of “inciting subversion of state power” for publishing critical articles overseas and meeting with other activists. His health has seriously deteriorated while incarcerated, but he has been denied medical parole. Lü’s family visits were suspended for three…
-
Status
ReleasedLu Guang
Creative artist, JournalistChinaAsia-PacificIn November 2018, photographer Lu Guang was secretly arrested in Xinjiang while meeting with local photographers. After nearly a year in detention, he was conditionally released but forced to live under surveillance in Shanghai. Although he had lived in New York with his wife since 2005, he remains barred from…
-
Status
ImprisonedLu Huihuang
Online CommentatorChinaAsia-PacificLu is an online commentator who has published extensively on democratic issues calling for constitutional reforms since 2013. He was detained multiple times since 2018 for his commentary. On February 18, 2022, Lu was taken away from his residence for social media posts and placed in detention. In November 2022,…
-
Status
ImprisonedLu Jianhua
Literary writer, ScholarChinaAsia-PacificAfter a 90 minute secret trial, Lu was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2006 for leaking state secrets, and even his wife, Qu Liqiu, was not informed until after the verdict was handed down. Lu is a prominent sociologist and research professor, and his conviction is linked to…
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.