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
On TrialAhmet Sever
Journalist, Literary writerTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaA writer and journalist, Sever has been on trial since April 2019 on charges of insulting President Erdoğan in Sever’s book My Testimony. An advisor and press chief to former Turkish President Abdullah Gül, Sever’s 2018 book traced conflicts within the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
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On TrialAhmet Şık
Creative artist, Journalist, Literary writerTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaInvestigative reporter Şik was detained in 2011 for “spreading terrorist propaganda” in a book he wrote on the controversial Gülen movement. He was released a year later, but was arrested again in 2016 for his support of the Kurds. He was finally released in March 2018. He is currently on…
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Status
ConvictedAhmet Telli
PoetTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaTelli is a poet whose work often focuses on Kurdish rights. He has faced persecution for his writing since the 1980s. In 2020, he was tried on false charges of “insulting the president” on social media. He was acquitted in January 2021. In October 2022, he was indicted for reciting…
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ConvictedAhmet Turan Alkan
Journalist, Literary writer, ScholarTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaA columnist for Zaman newspaper and literary writer, Alkan has been facing harassment for his written work since 2016. He was sentenced to 2 years and six months in prison for “abetting a terrorist organization without being a member.” He continues to claim that he was innocent and unaware of…
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Conditional ReleaseAhnaf Jazeem
PoetSri LankaAsia-PacificJazeem was arrested on May 16, 2020 under the Prevention of Terrorism Act in relation to his book of poetry Navarasam, in which authorities claimed without basis that he demonstrated extremism. His trial was scheduled for December 8, 2020 but was postponed due to concerns related to COVID-19. On December…
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Continued HarassmentAi Weiwei
Activist, Creative artistChinaAsia-PacificAi has been beaten, detained, and harassed by the government for over 10 years. Previously subject to a travel ban, Ai left China in 2015 to focus his activism on Europe’s refugee crisis; though the Chinese state continues to pressure the censorship of his work. Ai encounters censorship and resistance…
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Conditional ReleaseAida Amidi
PoetIranMiddle East and North AfricaA poet and a member of the Iranian Writers’ Association, Amidi was arrested at her home and taken to an undisclosed location on December 5, 2022. After hours of intergations, she was accused of conspiracy and collusion with the intention of acting against national security, as well as propaganda against…
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Conditional ReleaseAigul Otepova
Online CommentatorKazakhstanEurope and Central AsiaBlogger Otepova was placed under house arrest in September 2020 and accused of supporting the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK), labelled an extremist movement. She was forcibly brought to a psychiatric clinic and then released to house arrest. On April 29, 2021, Otepova was sentenced with 1 year of “restricted…
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Conditional ReleaseAkbar Azad
Activist, Journalist, Literary writer, PoetIranMiddle East and North AfricaAkbar Azad is a poet, activist, and journalist from Iran continuously targeted by authorities. First arrested after giving a speech for UNESCO in 2014, he has been detained and sentenced several times for promoting the minority Azeri language. He was recently detained in August 2021 and only conditionally released after…
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.