PEN: No freedom for the word

The British-Indian author quickly earned the ire of Iran's Ayatollah after publishing his book "Satanic Verses" in 1988. The book makes several references to figures in Christianity and Islam, leading Ayatollah Khomeini to issue a fatwa against the writer and calling on Muslims all over the world to kill him. The book's Japanese translator was assasinated in 1991.

Maria Ressa is co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Rappler online news portal in the Philippines. Previously, she worked as a reporter for CNN. In the Philippines, the Nobel Peace Prize winner was the harshest critic of former President Rodrigo Duterte and his brutal anti-drug policy.

Turkish opposition politician Selahattin Demirtas ran against President Erdogan in the 2014 and 2018 elections. He has been held in a high-security prison since November 2016 for alleged terrorist propaganda. The European Court of Human Rights is demanding his release. Turkey, a member of the Council of Europe, is not responding. While in prison, Demirtas began writing.

Like hundreds of Uighur intellectuals, Rahile Dawut disappeared from public view without a trace in 2017. According to Human Rights Watch, the well-known ethnologist from Xinjiang was arrested during a crackdown on Uighur poets, academics, and journalists. She is presumably being held in an internment camp. The German PEN Center is campaigning for Rahile Dawut.

Rukirabashaija's case sheds light on the situation of freedom of expression in Uganda. The regime critic, author and lawyer was abducted and tortured in 2021 because of critical books and disrespectful tweets. With the help of PEN, he managed to escape to Germany, where he arrived in February 2022.

Politically motivated charges and arrests — the government has targeted Vietnamese blogger and journalist Pham Doan Trang for her campaigning against environmental destruction, police violence and the oppression of minorities. Many human rights organizations and governments have been demanding her release after she was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2021.

When Turkish culture promoter Osman Kavala disappeared behind bars on flimsy charges in April 2022, it was not only PEN that protested. Amnesty International has also been calling for Kavala's release. The Council of Europe has repeatedly criticized Turkey's failure to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Tsitsi Dangarembga, author and filmmaker, is once again on trial in her native Zimbabwe for anti-government protests. She is accused of inciting public violence, breach of peace and bigotry. Dangarembga received the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade in 2021. If found guilty, she faces several years in prison.