PEN America: China and Iran were the largest prisons for writers last year

PEN America: China and Iran were the largest prisons for writers last year

PEN America reported on the state of freedom of expression for writers worldwide last year, stating that 311 writers were imprisoned in 2022, with the majority of these cases occurring in China and Iran.

The report named China and Iran as the worst countries in terms of freedom of expression, with 90 writers and 57 writers imprisoned respectively over the past year. The highest number of writers at risk is also related to these two countries.

This freedom of expression advocacy organization noted the nationwide protests in Iran, stating that the Islamic Republic government arrested 39 writers during these protests, marking the highest surge in the number of detained writers.

PEN America also stated that Iran is the largest prison for female writers in the world, with 16 out of 42 imprisoned female writers globally being in Iran.