The 2024 “Freedom to Write Index” report released by the American PEN Association stated that in 2024, 118 writers in China were imprisoned. Over the six years since the establishment of the index, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has detained the highest number of writers annually worldwide. Most of them were imprisoned on charges related to national security.
According to the “Freedom to Write Index” released by PEN America on April 24, 2024, China imprisoned 118 writers, an increase of 11 from the previous year’s 107 in 2023, making China the country with the largest increase in the number of detained writers.
Among the 118 individuals mentioned above, 9 were women, and about one-third of them primarily published their works or comments on the internet.
PEN America pointed out that the Chinese Communist authorities, under the pretext of “national security,” target writers who express democratic views, criticize the CPC, or promote minority languages and cultures. Nearly half of the detained writers are Uyghurs, Tibetans, or Mongolians, often arrested and imprisoned on vague charges of “separatism.”
Notable cases include the Uyghur economist Ilham Tohti, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2014. Tibetan poet Gendun Lhundrub was missing for three years until his release in November last year, but he continues to be under surveillance. Mongolian writer Lhamjab A. Borjigin was arrested by the Chinese authorities in Mongolia in 2023. Tibetan writer Thupten Lodoe was hospitalized for a serious illness in June last year.
Prose writer and human rights activist Xu Zhiyong was sentenced to 14 years in prison for “subverting state power” on April 10, 2023. In October of last year, Xu Zhiyong began a hunger strike in protest. Chinese-Australian writer Yang Hengjun was sentenced to death in February 2024.
Following the passage of Article 23 of the Basic Law in Hong Kong, former Vice-Chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, Chow Hang-tung, and others were arrested for inciting posts. Jimmy Lai, founder of Apple Daily, has been detained since 2020, with his case seen as a significant indicator of the state of press freedom and rule of law in Hong Kong. At the end of last year, Jimmy Lai faced a retrial for the “collusion with foreign forces” case.
PEN America also noted that the Chinese authorities have intensified their transnational repression in recent years. In 2024, several human rights organizations pointed out that China launched transnational repression against exiled writers and dissidents in Japan, Europe, and North America. Victims living abroad revealed that the CPC harasses and retaliates against their family members within China.
The “Freedom to Write Index” by PEN America was established in 2019 to specifically track writers and journalists imprisoned for their written works, publications, or reporting. Once detained for over 48 hours, the case would be included in the statistics. However, due to the strict information control by the Chinese government, obtaining comprehensive, up-to-date, and accurate information about the imprisoned writers remains a significant challenge.