Writer/artist shortlist

ICORN cities of refuge have hosted more than 130 persecuted writers and artists since 2005. Browse the list of former and current ICORN writers/artists for more information about each individual writer/artist. You can categorize by country and city of refuge.

ICORN writer		Field	ICORN city	From country
Hafizullah Shahirati	Writer, scholar		Levanger	Afghanistan	view
Farima Habashizadehasl / Justina	Singer, Rapper, Songwriter		Piteå		view
Zamira Abbasova	Journalist, podcaster		Leiden	Azerbaijan	view
Mohammed Hassan Abdullah	Writer, translator, researcher	French literature, children's books, Poetry	Tromsø	Iraq	view
Ehsan Abedi	Journalist, poet, literary critic			Iran	view
Carlos A. Aguilera	Poet, writer, cultural critic		Frankfurt	Cuba	view
Pegāh Ahmadi	Poet, scholar, literary critic, translator of poetry		Frankfurt	Iran	view
Jahangir Alam Akash	Journalist, human rights defender		Tromsø	Bangladesh	view
Iman Al Ghafari	Poet, researcher, academic writer		Sigtuna	Syria	view
Nada Al Khawwam	Poet, journalist		Berlin	Iraq	view
Amira Al Sharfi	Photo journalist		Paris	Yemen	view
Housam Al-Mosilli	Writer, journalist		Linköping	Syria	view
Basem Al-Nabriss	author, poet, philosopher		Barcelona	Palestine	view
Khalid Albaih	Artist, political cartoonist		Copenhagen	Sudan	view
Svetlana Alexievich	Investigative journalist, writer		Gothenburg	Belarus	view
Souzan Ali	Poet, Playwright, Theatre Director		Ljubljana	Syria	view
Amir Ali	Journalist, blogger			Egypt	view
Salah Salim Ali	Writer, researcher in translation and linguistics		Kristiansand	Iraq	view
Soudabeh Alishahi	High school teacher, writer		Oslo	Iran	view
Safaa Alwan	Editor, journalist, writer		Skien	Iraq	view
Ali Amar	Journalist, writer		Brussels Ljubljana	Morocco	view
Maria Amelie	Writer		Krakow	Russia	view
Kareem Amer	Journalist, blogger		Bergen	Egypt	view
Asieh Amini	Poet, journalist, and women's rights activist		Trondheim	Iran	view
Dejan Anastasijevic	Investigative journalist, writer		Brussels	Serbia	view
Lookeesan Appuththurai	Journalist		Bergen	Sri Lanka	view
Parvin Ardalan	Journalist, women's rights activist, writer, editor of feminist websites		Malmö	Iran	view
Ashraf Atraqchi	Journalist, Art critic, Curator	Iraq, Journalist, artist, Curator	Stockholm	Iraq	view
Abazar A. Bagi Hamid - aka Tore Brun	Musician		Harstad	Sudan	view
Mohammad Baharloo	Writer, editor		Frankfurt	Iran	view
Lawon Barszczewski	Writer, translator		Krakow	Belarus	view
Sahar Bayati	Journalist, interpreter, news editor		Haugesund	Iran	view
Faraj Bayrakdar	Journalist, poet		Stockholm	Syria	view
Sihem Bensedrine	Journalist, writer, human rights defender		Barcelona	Tunisia	view
Dessale Berekhet	Journalist, writer	PEN Eritrea, children's books	Bø	Eritrea	view
Seedy Bojang	Author, editor, journalist	corruption, criminality, social issues, freedom of expression		The Gambia	view
Noufel Bouzeboudja	Writer, performer, journalist			Algeria	view
Arash Chakeri	Novelist, poet, singer-songwriter		Brussels	Iran	view
Song Chi	Writer, journalist, film director		Kristiansand	Vietnam	view
Ahmedur Rashid Chowdhury / Tutul	Publisher, editor, writer		Skien	Bangladesh	view
Jude Dibia	Author, Activist		Malmö	Nigeria	view
Boubacar Boris Diop	Novelist			Senegal	view
Amatesiro Dore	Writer, Poet, Editor		Tuscany - Pontassieve	Nigeria	view
Gilles Dossou-Gouin	Novelist, poet, activist			Benin	view
Hika Fekede Dugassa	Writer, university lecturer			Ethiopia	view
Islam Elsanov	Filmmaker, writer		Stavanger	Chechnya	view
Araz Elses	Singer, musician		Stavanger	Azerbaijan	view
Mohsen Emadi	Poet, translator			Iran	view
Aslı Erdoğan	Novelist, poet		Krakow	Turkey	view
Hasan Yousefi Eshkevari	Journalist, researcher			Iran	view
Ramy Essam	Musician	Arab Spring, Tahrir Square	Malmö	Egypt	view
Ashur Etwebi	Poet, physician, translator, activist		Trondheim	Libya	view
Girma Fantaye	Journalist, writer, poet		Ljubljana	Ethiopia	view
Benyamin Farnam	Producer, editor, filmmaker		Oslo	Iran	view
Kosar Fattahi	Writer		Oslo	Iran	view
Omid Shams Gakieh	Journalist, artist, author, literary critic		Århus	Iran	view
Amin Ghazaei	Journalist, activist, writer		Amsterdam	Iran	view
Jiao Guobiao	Journalist		Norwich	China	view
Mohammad Habeeb	Poet, writer, translator, human rights activist		Stavanger	Syria	view
Samson Habte	Journalist, Human Rights advocate		Reykjavik	Eritrea	view
Mezgebu Haile Habtewold	Journalist, writer		Stockholm	Ethiopia	view
Khaled Harara	Rapper	hip-hop, youth workshops	Gothenburg	Palestine	view
Abdul Hakim Hashemi Hamidi	Writer, playwright, theatre director, human rights activist		Paris	Afghanistan	view
Fadi Abou Hassan	Cartoonist		Drøbak	Palestine	view
Hossein Heydari	Journalist, director, actor		Bergen	Iran	view
Mohsen Hossaini	Artist, animator		Drøbak	Afghanistan	view
Nadia Hossaini	Documentary filmmaker		Drøbak	Afghanistan	view
Chenjerai Hove (1956-2015)	Novelist, poet, playwright	PEN Zimbabwe, shona	Stavanger	Zimbabwe	view
Hai Ba Huynh	Guest Writer, Lillehammer City of Refuge 2011 - 2013		Lillehammer	Vietnam	view
Philo Ikonya	Writer, journalist, human rights activist		Oslo	Kenya	view
Mamon Ali Jabari	Writer, journalist		Levanger	Syria	view
Nama Jafari	Poet, writer, blogger, editor	Filternet	Lillehammer	Iran	view
Li Jianhong	Freelance writer and journalist		Stockholm	China	view
Sepideh Jodeyri	Poet, translator	Poetry		Iran	view
Irakli Kakabadze	Writer, human rights activist	Georgia, literature, human rights, performance, writer, Journalist, theatre for change, polyphonic blues band	Barcelona	Georgia	view
Ali Kalaei	Journalist, blogger		Eskilstuna	Iran	view
Felix Kaputu	Writer, Scholar		Krakow	Congo	view
Safaa Khalaf	Journalist, Researcher, Poet		Stavanger	Iraq	view
Ayaz Khonsyawashan	Poet, journalist		Bergen	Iran	view
Boris Korkmazov	Novelist, short story writer, advocate for minority language rights		Brussels	Russia	view
Mansour Koushan (1948-2014)	Poet, Author, Playwright, Film- and theatre director		Stavanger	Iran	view
Ratan Kumar Samadder	Blogger		Bergen	Bangladesh	view
Amani Lazar	Amani Lazar is a well-known literary translator and writer from Homs in Syria, and holds a diploma in Law from the faculty of Law in Damascus. From her base at the International People’s College (IPC) in Elsinore, Lazar continues her work as a literary translator, and participate in collaborations with the cultural sphere in Helsingør, in Denmark and internationally.			Syria	view
Mazen Maarouf	Writer, journalist, translator		Reykjavik	Lebanon	view
Nasrin Madani	Writer, critic, editor		Växjö	Iran	view
Monem Mahjoub	Linguist, Philosopher, Poet		Brussels	Libya	view
Otba Fathalla Mahmoud	Writer, journalist		Stavanger	Iraq	view
Samah Mahmoud	Writer and poet			Palestine	view
Masresha Mammo	Journalist, editor		Amsterdam	Ethiopia	view
Basim Mardan	Writer, playwright, translator		Skien	Iraq	view
Rhoda Mashavave	Journalist			Zimbabwe	view
Daniel Mekonnen	Writer, scholar			Eritrea	view
Christopher Mlalazi	Playwright, novelist, poet			Zimbabwe	view
Ahmed Mohamed	Author, blogger and activist		Skellefteå	Somalia	view
Pedro X. Molina	Cartoonist, journalist		Ithaca New York	Nicaragua	view
Mohamad Alaaedin Abdul Moula	Poet, writer			Syria	view
Gunel Movlud	Journalist, poet, translator		Levanger	Azerbaijan	view
Abduallahi Muhiaddin	Freelance cartoonist and journalist		Skien	Somalia	view
Musa Mutaev	Short story writer, novelist, editor, teacher		Trondheim	Chechnya	view
Suhael Sami Nader	Political commentator, literary- and fine arts critic	Freelance journalist	Copenhagen	Iraq	view
Andrei Nekrasov	Filmmaker, writer, journalist, playwright		Haugesund	Russia	view
Mana Neyestani	Cartoonist		Paris	Iran	view
Mahsa Nikan	psychologist, author of children's stories	children's stories	Oslo	Iran	view
Aaiún Nin	Aaiún Nin is an Angolan poet, mixed media artist and activist. Through her work, she explores and confronts issues of race, gender and sexual discrimination, as well as LGBT+ experience.		Krakow	Angola	view
Norwan (pseudonym)	Poet		Stavanger	Afghanistan	view
Jahanara Nuri	Writer, filmmaker, activist		Linköping	Bangladesh	view
"Julia Olivera"	Journalist, writer, artist	EDEFENDERH, ANDEH, Casa Tomada	Jönköping's Län	Honduras	view
Erol Özkoray	Journalist, political writer		Växjö	Turkey	view
Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo	Writer, Editor, Journalist, Photographer		Reykjavik	Cuba	view
Anzhelina Polonskaya	Poet	Poet, Russia	Frankfurt	Russia	view
Marjan Poursharifi	Poet, Writer, Illustrator		Trondheim	Iran	view
Umm Rafal	... is a pseudonym for a current ICORN Guest Writer whose identity cannot be revealed at this time.				view
Mohammad Rahbar	Journalist, writer		Trondheim	Iran	view
Anisur Rahman	Poet, playwright, literary critic, essayist, novelist, translator, journalist		Uppsala	Bangladesh	view
Arifur Rahman	Cartoonist		Drøbak	Bangladesh	view
Elahe Rahroniya	Writer, performance- and visual artist, filmmaker	Poet, artist, multiartist	Stavanger	Iran	view
Mansur Rajih	Poet, political activist		Stavanger	Yemen	view
Zineb el Rhazoui	Journalist, writer, human rights advocate		Ljubljana	Morocco	view
Zurab Rtveliashvili (1967-2021)	Poet, Performer		Stockholm	Georgia	view
Raza Ahmad Rumi	Journalist, author, policy analyst		Ithaca New York	Pakistan	view
Hamid Sakhizada	Musician		Harstad	Afghanistan	view
Hatem Abdulwahid Saleh	Poet, critic, essayist and journalist			Iraq	view
Babak Salimizadeh	Writer, Poet, Translator		Norrköping	Iran	view
Sonali Samarasinghe	Journalist, lawyer	Paris, Hôtel de Ville, ICORN GA 2016, resistance, journalism, testimony, Sri Lanka	Ithaca New York	Sri Lanka	view
Naeimeh Doustdar Sanaye	Journalist, author, human rights activist		Malmö	Iran	view
Aziz Sangtarash	Short story writer, editor, poet		Oslo	Iran	view
Sameer Abdullah Sayegh	Poet, journalist, translator		Ljubljana	Iraq	view
Bewketu Seyoum	Writer, Poet, Humorist		Pittsburgh	Ethiopia	view
Nawzat Shamdin	Journalist, novelist, literary critic		Skien	Iraq	view
Carlos Sherman	Translator, writer, human rights activist		Kristiansand	Uruguay	view
Emmanuel Shokrian	Researcher, writer, psychologist		Oslo	Iran	view
Tendai Frank Tagarira	Writer	Denmark	Århus	Zimbabwe	view
Ammar Tassaei	Writer, reporter			Iran	view
Dareen Tatour	Poet, Playwright, Photographer, Activist		Östersund	Palestine	view
Najati Tayara	Writer, editor		Paris	Syria	view
Tesfagiorgis Habte Kelati (1972-2021)	Journalist, Author		Luleå	Eritrea	view
Bertrand Teyou	Novelist			Cameroon	view
Alex Tor (pseud.)	Journalist			Russia	view
Issa Touma	Photographer		Gävle	Syria	view
Juan Daniel Treminio	Journalist		Barcelona	Nicaragua	view
Le Thanh Trung	Blogger, Journalist		Tromsø	Vietnam	view
Prudence Uriri	Producer, journalist, film maker		Lillehammer	Zimbabwe	view
Dr. Sedigheh Vasmaghi	Lawyer, poet and author		Uppsala	Iran	view
Jairo Videa	Journalist, Editor		Barcelona	Nicaragua	view
Mukhtar Wafayee	Journalist, Writer		Malmö	Afghanistan	view
Malek Wannous	Writer, journalist, translator			Syria	view
Nada Yousif	Poet, journalist			Iraq	view
Ragip Zarakolu	Writer, publisher		Sigtuna	Turkey	view
Salem Zènia	Novelist, journalist, poet		Barcelona	Algeria	view

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Writer/artist shortlist