2025 DISTURBING THE PEACE AWARD TO A COURAGEOUS WRITER AT RISK: SHORT LIST ANNOUNCED

The annual Disturbing the Peace Award to a Courageous Writer at Risk recognizes authors of distinguished works of fiction, literary nonfiction, biography, memoire, drama, or poetry who are courageous in dissent and have suffered unjust persecution because of their outspoken defense of democracy and human rights. The award helps provide awardees with the shield of international attention while enriching public understanding of the power of the written word to preserve and promote humanity’s highest ideals.

The short list of nominees for 2025 are:

Kamel Daoud (Algeria)

Maykel Osorbo (Cuba)

Pinar Selek (Turkey)

Maksim Znak (Belarus)

In addition to individual nominations the following organizations also submitted nominations:

Amnesty International USA

PEN International

Index on Censorship

Václav Havel Library Prague

Speak Up

About the short-listed nominees for the 2025 Disturbing the Peace Award:

Kamel Daoud is an Algerian novelist, journalist, and columnist born in 1970 in Mostaganem, Algeria. He is best known for his novel The Meursault Investigation, which reimagines Albert Camus’ The Stranger from an Algerian perspective, reclaiming the voice of the “nameless Arab” character. Daoud’s work explores themes of colonial legacy, secularism, and freedom of expression. As a public intellectual, he has often clashed with both Islamist fundamentalists and authoritarian political structures in Algeria. While he has not been imprisoned, he has faced serious threats and fatwas due to his outspoken positions on religion and society, leading to security precautions and temporary withdrawal from public life.

Maykel Osorbo is a Cuban rapper, poet, and human rights activist. Born in Havana in 1983, he is a co-author of the protest anthem Patria y Vida, which became the unofficial soundtrack of Cuban resistance during the 2021 protests. Osorbo uses his music and spoken word to denounce repression, poverty, and censorship in Cuba. He has been arrested numerous times and is currently imprisoned on charges including “contempt” and “public disorder,” widely regarded as politically motivated. Despite imprisonment, he continues to be an emblem of cultural resistance in Cuba. In 2022, Patria y Vida won a Latin Grammy, amplifying international attention to his case and the broader struggle for freedom in Cuba.

Pinar Selek is a Turkish sociologist, writer, and feminist activist born in Istanbul in 1971. Her work centers on marginalized communities, including Kurdish people, LGBTQ+ individuals, sex workers, and the urban poor. She has authored several novels, essays, and sociological studies, often blending personal narrative with academic insight. In 1998, Selek was arrested and tortured in relation to a market explosion in Istanbul, though no credible evidence tied her to the event. Despite multiple acquittals, the Turkish judiciary has repeatedly reopened the case, and in 2023, she was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment. Selek has lived in exile for over a decade, currently residing in France. Her ongoing persecution exemplifies the targeting of intellectuals and researchers who challenge dominant narratives in Turkey.

Maksim Znak is a Belarusian lawyer, writer, and political activist born in 1981 in Minsk. A key figure in the opposition movement, he served as a legal advisor to presidential candidate Viktar Babaryka and was part of the Coordination Council created to facilitate democratic transition in Belarus after the contested 2020 elections. In September 2020, Znak was arrested and later sentenced to 10 years in a high-security prison on charges of “conspiracy to seize power” and “extremism.” While detained, he continued to write, including poetry and essays from prison, some of which have been published and translated abroad. Znak’s commitment to justice, legal reform, and nonviolent resistance has made him a symbol of intellectual courage in the face of state repression.

The 2025 Disturbing the Peace Award shortlist was prepared by a selection committee whose members are:

Tamar Newberger, computer scientist and activist

Martin Palous, former Czech ambassador to the United Nations and the United States, and president, VHC board of directors

Jessica Ní Mhainín, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Index on Censorship

Lise Stone, vice chair, VHC board of directors

Salil Tripathi, former chair of Pen International ‘Writers in Prison Committee’ and board member, PEN International

Bill Shipsey, retired Barrister, human rights activist and founder and Director of Art for Human Rights, VHC board of directors