By Aarav Sapra
The number of jailed writers is immensely growing, with more than 100 imprisoned in China and countries like Israel and Russia entering the list of 10 countries with the most incarcerated writers. According to PEN America (a non-profit organization that advocates for human rights and freedom), 339 writers were imprisoned in 2023 — this number has generally increased over the past five years. Karin Karlekar (director of writers at risk at PEN America) states that this list excludes reporters but does include literary writers, poets, online commentators, and opinion writers. PEN America also later reinforces this with the statistic that more than 107 writers, 50 of whom are online commentators who wanted to express themselves through writing about political and economic issues and expressing pro-democracy viewpoints, are now jailed in China, while some are facing trials in court.
PEN America also mentioned Iran as being a place known for the crackdown on writers because of the arrests the nation made in 2023. 13 writers were arrested in Iran, and the country became the second-highest index after China, bringing Iran’s total of imprisoned writers to 49. Saudi Arabia and Vietnam were tied for third place in the index, with 19 writers jailed in each country. Furthermore, increases from 2022 included the number of female journalists jailed from 35 to 51 and the number of jailed online commentators from 80 to 180. PEN America defines an online commentator as anyone who expresses themselves by writing on social media or other online platforms. Notably, Russia and Israel have entered the list of the top 10 biggest jailers. Furthermore, PEN America states that due to the shift of our geopolitics and authoritarian perspective, more countries that were once safely anchored in human rights, such as openness or free expression, are now more likely to be a threat to many writers. Journalists around the world are also facing more danger. The Committee to Protect Journalists said that 320 journalists were imprisoned as of December 1st, 2023, which was the second-highest year-end total since the organization began tracking them in 1992.
The escalating number of jailed writers is not just a statistic, but a deeply concerning trend with far-reaching implications. As more countries adopt an authoritative approach, the freedom of speech for many writers is at risk of being significantly curtailed. Karlekar points out, “When a single voice is jailed, it has a much broader impact on society as a whole.” She further explains that such actions can lead to a decrease in discussion, discourse, and even self-censorship, which is a worrying prospect for the future of free expression.
