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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ConvictedMostafa Aleahmad
Creative artist, DramatistIranMiddle East and North AfricaOn July 8, 2022, Aleahmad was arrested alongside filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof for “inciting unrest” and “disrupting the psychological safety of society.” He was released on bail after testing positive for COVID-19 on August 10, to be tried at a later date. On October 3, 2022, Aleahmad was sentenced to six…
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Conditional ReleaseMostafa Mehraeen
Literary writer, Online Commentator, Scholar, TranslatorIranMiddle East and North AfricaMostafa Mehraeen is a sociologist and translator. In March 2025, a criminal case was opened against him due to the series of critical open letters he had written to Ayatollah Khamenei. He was arrested and transferred to Evin Prison in June after he wrote another letter critical of the Iran-Israel…
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On TrialMounir Gharbi
Activist, Online CommentatorAlgeriaMiddle East and North AfricaMounir Gharbi is an Algerian lawyer currently facing prosecution over Facebook posts and a 2020 courtroom statement linked to detainees’ rights. In 2025, he was sentenced in absentia to prison and a fine, and in December 2025 his case was referred to trial after earlier judicial decisions were upheld. He…
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ReleasedMozhgan Kavousi
Creative artist, Literary writer, TranslatorIranMiddle East and North AfricaKurdish writer and filmmaker Kavousi was arrested at her home in September 2022, and spent at least 35 days in solitary confinement. She was tried for “corruption on earth” among other charges, and was acquitted of corruption but sentenced to 5 years imprisonment on collusion and propaganda charges. She began…
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ReleasedMuhammad Bekjanov
JournalistUzbekistanEurope and Central AsiaMuhammad Bekjanov is a prominent editor and journalist who used his work to advocate for democracy in post-Soviet Uzbekistan. Bekjanov was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment in 1999 when then-president of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov blamed explosions in Tashkent on Erk, the opposition party and newspaper of which Bekjanov was a…
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Recorded ThreatMuhammad Zafar Iqbal
Literary writer, ScholarBangladeshAsia-PacificIn March 2018, professor and writer Iqbal survived a stabbing incident on the campus of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST). The attack was linked to his outspoken views on various social issues. The assailant, Foyzul Hasan, was subsequently convicted under anti-terrorism laws and sentenced to life imprisonment in…
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ConvictedMümtaz’er Türköne
Journalist, Literary writer, ScholarTürkiyeEurope and Central AsiaPolice detained Türköne, a columnist for the daily Zaman, as part of a purge of suspected Gülenists after the failed July 2016 coup. Türköne was sentenced in 2018 to 10 years in prison on later overturned terrorism charges. After his conditional release in September 2020, trials against him continued. In…
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Continued HarassmentMunawar Faruqui
Creative artistIndiaAsia-PacificFaruqui was arrested on January 2, 2021 on allegations that he had made indecent remarks about Hindu deities in a comedy routine he never performed—police officials later admitted the charge was baseless. Though he was set to serve 11 days in jail, Faruqui’s bail was twice denied, and he was…
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ImprisonedMunkhbayar Chuluundorj
Activist, Journalist, Literary writer, Online Commentator, PoetChina/Inner Mongolia Autonomous RegionAsia-PacificA founding member of the World Mongols Poetry Association, Chuluundorj is a well-known blogger, poet, and human rights defender known for defending Inner Mongolian human rights, culture, and history. He was detained on February 18, 2022 for “illegal cooperation activities,” likely due to his vocal criticism of both the Mongolian…
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.