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
ImprisonedMehdi Bahman
Creative artist, Literary writerIranMiddle East and North AfricaBahman, a literary writer and creative artist, is known for his illustrated copies of the Torah, Bible, and Psalms. He was detained on October 13, 2022, after giving an interview critical of the Iranian government to an Israeli TV channel. In December 2022, he was sentenced to death for espionage.…
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Conditional ReleaseMehdi Mahmoudian
Activist, Dramatist, Journalist, Online CommentatorIranMiddle East and North AfricaActivist, screenwriter, and commentator Mehdi Mahmoudian, who was an active figure in the 2009 Green Movement, has a long history of persecution by the Iranian government. In January 2024, he was released after completing a 30-month sentence for his activism. In February 2025, he was sentenced to and began serving…
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Conditional ReleaseMehdi Rajabian
Creative artist, Singer/SongwriterIranMiddle East and North AfricaMusician Mehdi Rajabian was imprisoned in 2016 after co-founding a music sharing website with his brother. They were released in 2017, but Rajabian was re-arrested on August 11, 2020, after recieving a summons the day before, for publishing songs on women’s song and dance. He was released on bail the…
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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…
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.