Maria RESSA
A journalist and writer, Maria Ressa has been the target of a campaign of judicial harassment and intimidation since her initial arrest on 13 February 2019…
Amanda ECHANIS
A poet, writer and activist, Amanda Echanis has been held in pre-trial detention since she was arrested at her home alongside her then one-month-old…
WAI MOE NAING
A writer, pro-democracy activist and member of PEN Myanmar, Wai Moe Naing was serving a combined sentence of 74 years in prison after conviction of ‘offences’…
Julian ASSANGE
Wikileaks founder and publisher Julian Assange was released from detention on 24 June 2024. Assange returned to his home country of Australia following a plea deal with US prosecutors, after spending 1,901 days behind bars in Belmarsh High Security prison, London…
Uthaya SANKAR SB
Writer Uthaya Sankar SB was notified on 3 April 2024 that the investigation against him had been closed; his phone was also returned. Sankar had…
N. Venugopal RAO
Poet, journalist, translator and writer N. Venugopal Rao’s home was raided by the NIA on 8 February 2024 as part of a series of searches of different locations…
Volodymyr VAKULENKO
No one was brought to justice for the killing of Ukrainian writer Volodymyr Vakulenko during the year. However, in May 2024, the human rights initiative Truth Hounds published a detailed investigation into his murder, alleging broader involvement from the Russian Federation’s Federal Security Service (FSB)…
Ragıp ZARAKOLU
Publisher, human rights activist, and PEN Türkiye member Ragıp Zarakolu, was arrested in October 2011 and is facing a sentence of up to 15 years in prison in Türkiye on bogus terrorism charges in connection with a speech he made at an event by the now defunct pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy (BDP) party…
Aakar PATEL
A writer, journalist and political activist, Aakar Patel remained subject to bail conditions restricting his freedom of movement at the end of the year…
Merdan YANARDAĞ
On 10 December 2024, writer and PEN Türkiye member Merdan Yanardağ was retried in Istanbul on charges of insulting the Turkish nation, the Republic of Türkiye, the institutions and organs of the state (Article 301 of Türkiye’s Penal Code), in relation to his column ‘Düzenin Mafyalaşması’ (The Mafia-ization of the System)…
Meral ŞIMŞEK
Throughout 2024, writer, poet, and Kurdish PEN member Meral Şimşek continued to be on trial, appealing against a 15-month prison sentence imposed by the Malatya 2nd High Criminal Court in Malatya province, eastern Türkiye on 7 October 2021, after it convicted her of ‘making terrorist propaganda’…
Varavara Rao
Varavara Rao, a writer, poet, and activist, remained on trial at the end of the year. Freed on regular bail, he is one of 16 writers, scholars and…
Teesta SETALVAD
A writer and activist, Teesta Setalvad remained on trial at the end of the year while remaining subject to onerous bail conditions impacting her freedom…
Professor Şebnem Korur FINCANCI
Prominent academic, forensic scientist, and leading human rights defender, Professor Şebnem Korur Fincancı remained on trial throughout 2024 in relation to restrained comments made in 2022 during a live interview regarding the possible use of chemical weapons by Türkiye’s armed forces against members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)…
Yavuz EKINCI
Kurdish writer Yavuz Ekinci faces up to seven and a half years in prison on bogus terrorism propaganda grounds for his book Rüyası Bölünenler (Dream Divided). His trial opened in Istanbul in September 2024…
Can DÜNDAR
Can Dündar, then editor of the daily newspaper Cumhuriyet, continues to appeal against a lengthy prison term and is on trial on other charges (see Case Lists 2014 – 2023/2024). Dündar was detained on 26 November 2015 alongside his Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gül on terrorism and espionage charges, in connection with a May 2015 story published by…
ZHANG Guiqi (Pen name, Lu Yang)
A poet, teacher and member of the ICPC, Zhang Guiqi is serving a six-year prison term imposed on 26 July 2022 after a trial behind closed doors where…