“When literary heritage and expression are attacked, our capacity to develop the narratives and ideas necessary to understand and address the world’s seemingly intractable challenges is diminished, resulting in a cost borne by us all.” Ma Thida, Chair of PEN International Writers in Prison Committee
23 April 2026: Today, on World Book Day, PEN International launches Writers Under Siege: Defying Silence – PEN International Case List 2026, documenting a troubling global pattern: space for expression, culture and dissent is shrinking as governments intensify efforts to silence critical expression and target writers for their work.
Across regions, writers continue to face imprisonment, threats, censorship and forced exile. In 2025, PEN International documented 140 cases of persecution worldwide, including 32 writers imprisoned, 26 subjected to harassment, 23 facing judicial harassment, and 12 victims of enforced disappearance. Among them: Indian journalist and author Rana Ayyub continues to face death threats and harassment for her reporting. Belarusian Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski was released from prison but forced into exile. In El Salvador, journalist and author Óscar Enrique Martínez D’Aubuisson left the country after threats and reports of an arrest warrant linked to interviews exposing alleged government ties to gangs. In Eritrea, the fate of 12 writers and journalists, detained for nearly 25 years, remains unknown, while Algerian poet Mohamed Tadjadit has been repeatedly imprisoned for his writings and activism.
Weakening protections for freedom of expression
Writers Under Siege: Defying Silence – PEN International Case List 2026 highlights the erosion of international safeguards protecting free expression. In many countries, governments no longer even pay lip service to human rights, while withdrawals from international institutions weaken the global rules-based order.
At the same time, cuts to international aid by major donors are undermining humanitarian support, education and cultural life, with women and girls in Afghanistan among those hardest hit. In Myanmar, funding cuts have hit exile media along the Thai-Myanmar border, leaving dozens of at-risk journalists facing deportation.
Conflicts devastating cultural life
Armed conflicts continue to devastate cultural life in countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Palestine, Sudan and Ukraine.
In Sudan, up to 90% of media houses have been destroyed, with 27 newspapers forced to close. The number of working journalists has dropped from 1,500 before the war to 250–300, with only about 70 still working inside the country.
In Ukraine, Russian forces have killed at least 255 cultural figures, including writers, artists and historians. In Gaza, Israeli bombardment has destroyed homes, libraries and cultural spaces and displaced writers and artists. Elsewhere, gang violence in Ecuador and Haiti has restricted cultural life and access to information.
Protest movements and repression
Protest movements remained widespread in 2025, often led by Gen Z activists organising online. These mobilisations have led to the removal of officials or governments in Bulgaria, Indonesia, Madagascar, Nepal, Peru and Serbia, and reforms in Kenya, Morocco, Paraguay, the Philippines and Togo.
Authorities frequently responded with excessive force, mass arrests and other restrictions, including during elections in Cameroon, Tanzania and Uganda. Governments also imposed internet shutdowns or social media bans during protests in Afghanistan, Cameroon, Nepal, Iran, Indonesia, Tanzania and India, where authorities blocked around 300 social media accounts and banned the use of VPNs to bypass censorship. In Cuba, poet and academic José Gabriel Barrenechea Chávez was sentenced to the maximum six-year prison term for participating in a peaceful protest.
Transnational repression and forced exile
Governments are increasingly targeting writers beyond their borders through transnational repression. Tactics include trials in absentia, threats of extradition and harassment of family members. For example, the Russian Federation has targeted writer Larisa Tuptsokova in Georgia, while the Nicaraguan authorities have used intimidation tactics including stripping nationality and refusing to renew passports. Threats and intimidation have also forced Malian author Étienne Fakaba Sissoko into exile.
Disinformation and censorship
The report also highlights growing manipulation of information spaces. Misinformation and disinformation, often amplified by artificial intelligence, are increasingly used to distort public debate and fuel smear campaigns against journalists and writers. In the Philippines, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa has faced years of legal harassment and online attacks linked to her reporting on disinformation networks.
Book censorship and cultural repression are rising, particularly in the USA and Canada but also in Cuba, Mexico and Türkiye, increasingly targeting works addressing gender, racial equality and LGBTQI issues. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces confiscated books from a Palestinian bookshop and briefly detained its owners, writer and bookseller Mahmoud Muna and his nephew Ahmad Muna.
Emergency support for writers at risk
In response to these threats, PEN International, in close cooperation with the PEN Emergency Fund, issued 84 emergency grants to writers at risk. The largest number supported Palestinian writers from Gaza (21 grants), followed by Myanmar (16), Afghanistan (7) and Türkiye (6). Additional grants assisted writers from Belarus (4), Ethiopia (2) and Nicaragua (2), while writers from 17 other countries also received support. Six additional grants were provided to persecuted writers from Belarus following their release and forced exile.
Signs of progress
Despite the challenging global context, PEN International Case List 2026 also documents important victories, supported by the organisation’s advocacy. These include the acquittal and release of Mozambican writer Alex Barga, the conviction of Hadi Matar for the attack on Salman Rushdie, the acquittal of Filipino writer Amanda Echanis, the release of Ukrainian journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko, and the release of British-Egyptian writer Alaa Abd El-Fattah.
Recommendations
PEN International calls on governments and the international community to:
- Strengthen multilateral cooperation, uphold the rule of law and ensure accountability for international crimes, including genocide and apartheid.
• End attacks on civilians, writers and cultural infrastructure, and ensure humanitarian aid and the rebuilding of education and cultural sectors.
• Release unjustly imprisoned writers, end transnational repression and enforced exile, repeal laws restricting free expression and address SLAPPs.
• Protect writers from threats and violence, defend civic space and end smear campaigns and book bans.
• Support minoritised and women writers and promote equality and participation in cultural life.
Case list on the PEN International website
Note to Editors:
For further information please contact Ross Holder, PEN International’s Head of Research, Policy and Advocacy, email: ross.holder@pen-international.org
For media queries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, PEN International Head of Communications and Campaigns, email: Sabrina.Tucci@pen-international.org
