In a concerning advancement, the number of writers imprisoned globally in 2023 has reached unprecedented levels, marking a five-year high. According to a recent report by PEN America, a freedom of expression advocacy group, there were at least 339 writers incarcerated in that year, with over 100 individual cases arising from China alone. The report is part of the Freedom to Write Index, which has been published annually since 2019.
Per PEN America’s Index methodology, the organization’s count has seen a steady increase starting from 238 incarcerations in 2019. The 2023 figure markedly exceeds the preceding year counts, demonstrating an expanding threat to writers across the world.
Crucially, the report denotes a heightened incident of women and online commentators’ imprisonment, even as the percentage of prisoners from other professions held steady. Out of the writers in captivity, 50 were women, with Iran recording the majority of these cases. Additionally, online commentators formed a significant part of this grim statistic, with 180 individuals incarcerated.
The geographical distribution of these imprisonments was heavily skewed towards Asia-Pacific and the Middle East & North Africa, with these regions accounting for 76% of the global total. Individual countries topping the list of offender states were China, which had imprisoned 107 writers, followed by Iran (49), Saudi Arabia and Vietnam (19 each), and Israel (including arrests made in the Occupied Palestinian Territory) with 17. Troublingly, Israel and Russia were added to the list of the ten countries with most imprisonments in 2023, reinforcing a growing trend towards repressing dissent amidst war and conflict. Notably, in China, an alarming proportion of these arrests stemmed from criticism of official policies and advocacy for democratic ideals.
Reflecting on the report’s findings, Liesl Gerntholtz, the director of the PEN/ Barbey Freedom to Write Center, expressed:
The jailing of a writer goes beyond the silencing of one voice. It is an assault on everyone’s free expression and human rights. This is why writers, who, through their craft, can inspire understanding, offer alternate perspectives, and galvanize hope pose such a threat to leaders who resort to autocratic tactics. The erosion of free expression frequently leads to the deterioration of other human rights, clearing an unimpeded path for repressive states to strangle human rights. And it is why we must speak out against efforts to put them behind bars and silence their expression.
These observations underscore the crucial role writers play in stimulating dialogue, enlightening perspectives, and advocating hope. It reveals why they pose such a serious threat to autocratic leaders, underscoring the potent link between the stifling of free expression and the consequent decline of other human rights. As members of the legal fraternity, the responsibility is on us, collectively, to speak out against and confront these efforts to quiet voices of dissent.