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 ReleaseNegin Aramesh
Poet, Scholar, TranslatorIranMiddle East and North AfricaA poet, translator, and student, Aramesh posts her written poems on her Instagram account. She was arrested on September 23, 2022 and detained and reportedly interrogated under threats of torture and harming her family. Authorities searched her home, confiscated her electronics, and detained her friend without a warrant. A month…
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Displaced/In ExileNejat Bahrami
Journalist, Literary writer, Online CommentatorIranMiddle East and North AfricaBahrami is a freelance columnist who writes political, economic, and cultural commentary. In May 2020, one year after he was convicted, a court summoned him to begin his one-year sentence for propaganda and anti-state charges. He faces a two-year ban on media activities. Bahrami, furloughed once for poor health, contracted…
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ReleasedNelson Aguilera
Literary writer, ScholarParaguayAmericasPEN Paraguay member, writer, and author of children’s books Nelson Aguilera was convicted of plagiarism in November 2013, following accusations made by Maria Eugenia Garay Zucolillo in 2010 that he plagiarized her work in his publication, Karumbita: La Patriota. After ten long years, the case against Aguilera expired in February…
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Displaced/In ExileNewton Ahmed Barry
Journalist, Online CommentatorBurkina FasoSub-Saharan AfricaOn December 29, 2023, Newton Ahmed Barry was convicted, in absentia, for defaming Minister of Defense Brigadier General Kassoum Coulibaly. The ruling sentenced him to a two-month suspended prison term, a fine of 250,000 FCFA, and an additional 500,000 FCFA in damages. He was also ordered to delete the contentious…
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DetainedNgar Min Swe
Journalist, Online CommentatorMyanmarAsia-PacificNgar Min Swe was serving a seven-year prison sentence for “inciting hatred against the government,” stemming from Facebook posts and critical news articles about Aung San Suu Kyi. Released after the February 2021 coup, he has more recently spoken at pro-junta rallies and expressed support for the miitary online. On…
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Continued HarassmentNgo Oanh Phuong
Online CommentatorVietnamAsia-PacificVietnamese activist Ngo Oanh Phuong, a member of the Ban Huu Duong Xa Group, recieved her third police summons on February 2024. Known for her online criticism of Vingroup, Vietnam’s largest conglomerate, her Facebook page – once followed by thousands – has been mysteriously locked and deactivated. She was first…
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DeceasedNguyen Chi Thien
Poet, ScholarVietnamAsia-PacificA dissident writer and political activist, Thien spent a total of 27 years in prison between 1960 and 1991. While in prison, he composed over 400 poems, which were published while he was still jailed. Following his release, Thien moved to the United States, where he died in 2012.
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ReleasedNguyen Huu Vinh
Journalist, Online CommentatorVietnamAsia-PacificA former police officer, Vinh founded a popular blog dedicated to criticism of the government and circumvention of its internet firewall. In 2014, he was arrested for “baseless” and “distortionary” blog posts and sentenced to five years in prison. He was released in 2019. Following his release in 2019, he…
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ImprisonedNguyen Lan Thang
Online CommentatorVietnamAsia-PacificNguyen Lan Thang has written commentary on current events in Vietnam and around the world, history, and philosophy via his blog on Radio Free Asia since at least 2013. A longtime democracy activist and environmental advocate, he was arrested on suspicion of spreading “anti-state propaganda” in July 2022. On April…
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.