Write to an imprisoned writer

PENWrites is our international letter-writing campaign in solidarity with writers in prison and at risk around the world. Join us in sending a message of hope today.

PENWrites x Day of the Imprisoned Writer
On 15 November, PEN centres around the world will be marking the annual Day of the Imprisoned Writer. Here in the UK, English PEN will work with independent bookshops across the country to introduce local communities to PEN and invite them to engage with our work through PENWrites.

Amanuel Asrat

Eritrea  

Amanuel Asrat is a poet, critic, and editor-in-chief of the leading newspaper ዘመን  Zemen (The Times). He was arrested on 23 September 2001, one of the many journalists arrested during a brutal crackdown. He has been held incommunicado, without charge or trial, and is believed to be one of the few journalists still surviving. In October 2020, Asrat was announced as the PEN Pinter Prize for a Writer of Courage by fellow winner and poet Linton Kwesi Johnson. Send a message of support to his family today.

Pham Doan Trang

Vietnam  

Pham Doan Trang is an internationally acclaimed writer, publisher, and human rights activist. She had been persecuted repeatedly for her work, forcing her to go into hiding for over three years, prior to her arrest in October 2020. After more than a year in pre-trial detention, the court sentenced Trang to nine years in prison on charges of ‘anti-state propaganda.’  

Dr Abduljalil Al-Singace

Bahrain  

Dr Abduljalil Al-Singace is an academic, human rights activist, and blogger who was arrested in 2011 for his role in pro-democracy protests and sentenced to life in prison. He has been held in solitary confinement, subjected to torture and ill-treatment, and denied access to specialised healthcare. Since 2023, Dr Al-Singace has been on a hunger strike, relying on liquids to survive, in protest of the prison’s ill-treatment and the confiscation of a manuscript he had been working on for years. Dr Al-Singace won the PEN Pinter Prize for a Writer of Courage in 2022. 

Rahile Dawut

Xinjiang Autonomous Region  

Rahile Dawut is a leading anthropologist and academic on Uyghur culture. She was disappeared by Chinese authorities in December 2017. It was only confirmed in September 2023 that Dawut had been sentenced to life imprisonment for ‘endangering state security.’ Before her imprisonment, Dawut travelled extensively lecturing on Uyghur culture and had been awarded the largest ever research project by the Chinese Ministry of Culture. Dawut has been held incommunicado throughout her detention. Dawut was awarded the PEN Pinter Prize for Writer of Courage in 2023. Send a message of support to her family today.

Galal El-Behairy

Egypt  

Galal El-Behairy is a poet, lyricist, and activist who has been detained since March 2018 on trumped up charges and in violation of his right to freedom of expression. El-Behairy was targeted by the Egyptian authorities for his participation in a protest song ‘Balaha’ and his poetry collection The Finest Women on Earth, which was accused of ‘spreading false information’ about the State and army. Despite completing his sentence in 2021, El-Behairy was not released and continues to be held in detention. In August 2025, after reaching the limit of pre-trial detention, new charges were brought against him. 

Jimmy Lai

Hong Kong  

Jimmy Lai is an award-winning writer, businessman, and human rights activist. He owned Apple Daily, regarded as Hong Kong’s most prolific pro-democracy news outlet before it was forced to close in 2021. He has been arrested on multiple occasions for his activism throughout his career, most recently as part of the widespread suppression of dissenting voices under the National Security Law. Since his detention and arrest, Lai has experienced a sharp decline in his health and has not been provided any specialised care.

Mahvash Sabet

Iran  

Mahvash Sabet is a poet and teacher from Iran. She has been repeatedly targeted by the Iranian authorities and has spent over a decade in prison. Sabet was arrested in 2008 as one of the Group of Seven Baha’i leaders for practicing their faith. During her 10-year sentence, she began writing poetry and a collection of her work has been published and translated to English. Sabet was released in 2017 and was awarded the PEN Pinter Prize for a Writer of Courage by fellow poet Michael Longley. In 2022, she was arrested on unfounded charges of espionage and sentenced to a further ten years in prison. She has been reportedly subjected to torture, and her health has declined while in prison – she had to undergo emergency open heart surgery in 2024.

Resources

Read our helpful guide to writing letters in solidarity and how you can support writers at risk.