In recognition of National Banned Books Week (October 4–10), Amnesty International USA will spotlight seven cases that expose how people around the world are punished for their writing, speech, and other forms of artistic and cultural expression.
This year’s featured cases include a journalist, social media influencer, poet, photojournalist, Indigenous rights activists, and others from the United States, Mali, Algeria, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Azerbaijan, and an Indigenous community in Russia—highlighting how diverse voices are targeted for expressing critical ideas.
Nidal al-Waheidi and Haitham Abdelwahed
ISREAL AND THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY (IOPT)
Palestinian Photojournalists Forcibly Disappeared
Haitham Abdelwahed, a journalist, and Nidal al‑Waheidi, a photojournalist from the occupied Gaza Strip, reported for independent outlets Ein Media and an‑Najah Channel. On October 7, 2023, they were detained by Israeli forces while covering events near the Beit Hanoun/Erez checkpoint. Since their arrest, Israeli authorities have provided no clear legal basis for their detention and have refused to disclose their whereabouts.
Human rights groups warn that Nidal and Haitham’s case reflects a broader pattern of enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, and mistreatment of Palestinian detainees from Gaza—particularly journalists targeted for doing their work.
Georgia Fort
UNITED STATES
Journalist Charged Under Hate-Crime Law for Documenting Minnesota Protest
Georgia Fort is a journalist and founder of a news organization dedicated to telling empowering stories rooted in Black communities. In January 2026, as federal immigration operations fueled fear across Minnesota, she documented a peaceful protest inside a St. Paul church held after ICE agents killed community observer Renee Good and involving a pastor who was also an acting ICE director. The federal government sought to arrest the journalists and other members of the press at the same time, but their request was denied on three separate occasions by a magistrate judge, district court judge, and appellate court judge. The Department of Justice then called for a grand jury hearing resulting in a grand jury indictment on three felony charges, including a hate crime statute against Georgia Fort and two other members of the press who reported on the demonstrations.
Journalism is not a crime.
Additional Resources
Read: Freedom of the Press
Independent Journalist George Fort publishes photos from her coverage of George Floyd Protests, Trump’s last day in the White House, D.C during the inauguration and protests for Breonna Taylor.
Mahvesh Sabet
IRAN
Poet and Teacher Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Expressing Religious Beliefs
Mahvash Sabet, a prominent member of Iran’s Baha’i community, was arrested in 2022 and sentenced to 10 years in prison after a reported one-hour trial. A prisoner of conscience, she is being punished solely for peacefully exercising her right to freedom of religion and for her past community leadership. A former educator, writer, and poet, she had previously been imprisoned from 2008 to 2017 alongside six other Baha’i leaders on baseless charges. Her case reflects the wider persecution and systematic denial of rights faced by Baha’is in Iran.
Additional Resources
Read: Open Wide the Doors: A Memoir of Faith, Hope and Freedom in Iran
Documenting Mahvash Sabet’s first ten months of incarceration, in Mashhad and later Evin Prison, Open Wide the Doors is a portrait of Iranian society behind prison walls. It thrums with compassion for Iran’s thieves, prostitutes, and even prison guards. If you keep your heart open, Sabet proves, no judge, interrogator or torturer can crush your soul.
Read: Tales of Love – More Prison Poems
This is the second volume of poetry by Mahvash Sabet, who was named Writer of Courage by Michael Longley at the PEN Pinter Prize ceremony in 2017. Sabet was imprisoned in March 2008 and initially condemned to a 20-year jail sentence for her belief in the Bahá’í Faith. Although she was released in September 2017, she was arrested once again, in July 2022, and sentenced to a further 10 years on the same baseless grounds. She is currently incarcerated in Evin Prison in Tehran.
Read: Prison Poems
Her poems have allowed her to speak when words were denied, to talk when no one was listening to her. But unlike many prison poems, hers are not merely a catalogue of hopes and fears. Sometimes a means of historical documentation, a chronicle of what the Bahá’ís have been subjected to since their incarceration; sometimes a series of portraits of other women trapped in prison with her; sometimes meditations on powerlessness, on loneliness; her poems are plangent with appeal, ardent with hope – for whatever the accusations against her, she is a prisoner of faith.
Mohamed Tadjadit
ALGERIA
Detained Hirak Poet Faces State-Security Charges and Possible Death Sentence
Mohamed Tadjadit, known as the poet of the Hirak movement, has been arbitrarily detained since January 2025 solely for exercising his rights of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Algerian authorities have repeatedly targeted Mohamed because of his work. He is awaiting trial together with 12 other activists on state security charges punishable by long prison terms and the death penalty.
Rokiatou Doumbia (also known as “Tata Rose”)
MALI
TikTok Influencer Charged Over Living Conditions Posts
Rokiatou Doumbia, known as Tata Rose, is a trader and social media influencer who spoke out against rising living costs and insecurity through her live broadcasts. On March 13, 2023, she was arrested, and two days later, she was charged with “incitement to revolt,” “damage to the credit of the State,” and “criminal association.” In August 2023, a Bamako court sentenced her to one year in prison and a fine for “incitement to revolt and disturbing public order through information and communication technologies.” After serving that sentence, she remained detained on additional charges. In December 2025, despite her previous conviction being overturned on appeal, authorities confirmed new prosecutions for “criminal conspiracy” and related offenses. She remains in prison, far from her family, with fears of prolonged pre-trial detention. Her case is a stark warning: freedom of expression is under threat, with devastating consequences for her and her children.
Frenchie Mae
PHILIPPINES
Journalist Detained and Charged with “Terrorism Financing” For Reporting the Truth
Frenchie Mae Cumpio, 27, is a community journalist from the Philippines who has long believed in the power of truth. As executive director of Eastern Vista, she reported on human rights abuses by security forces in Eastern Visayas. On February 7, 2020, police and the military raided her office in Tacloban City and arrested her and four others, now known as the “Tacloban 5,” after allegedly planting weapons and explosives. Her case reflects the Philippine government’s broader practice of “red-tagging,” which targets journalists, activists, and rights groups as communist fronts. Frenchie’s continued detention shows how dangerous truth-telling remains. Journalism is not a crime.
Daria Egereva
RUSSIA
Indigenous Leader and Climate Activist Detained, Facing 20 Year Sentence
Daria Egereva is an Indigenous rights defender, climate leader, and a voice for the Selkup people of Western Siberia. She has spent years advocating for Indigenous cultures, languages, women’s rights, and climate justice. Egereva is co-chair of the International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Climate Change and is a contributing author of several advisory reports reflecting indigenous perspectives related to climate issues.
In December 2025, after returning from COP30 in Brazil, where she represented Indigenous peoples in global climate negotiations, Daria was detained in Moscow. Russian authorities charged her with “participation in a terrorist organization” for her peaceful work with the Aborigen Forum, an Indigenous advocacy network. She now faces up to 20 years in prison.
Her arrest came alongside raids on dozens of other Indigenous activists, signaling a sweeping crackdown on Indigenous civil society.
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& Literature Competition
Calling all young artists, writers, and creative voices! Enter Amnesty International’s Freedom Pages Art and Literature Competition and use your creativity to speak out for human rights. Whether through poetry, short stories, visual art, or mixed media, this is your chance to inspire others, challenge injustice, and show the power of free expression. Share your voice, spark action, and help imagine a world where everyone’s freedom of expression is respected.