In just this past month, three prominent Iranian writers, translators, and members of the Association of Iranian Writers, Bektash Abtin, Kayvan Bazhan, and Reza Khandan Mahabadi, and journalist and sociology researcher, Khosrow Sadeghi Boroujeni, have been sentenced to prison on charges of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and gathering and collusion with the intent of acting against national security.”
These accusations, which have led to long prison sentences and the charges levied are false. Their objectives are to further oppress writers and the people of Iran.
At a time when the world is under crisis by the pandemic, Iran, and especially within its prisons has a very unstable environment, with the increasing spread of Coronavirus among inmates.
We as authors and scholars would like to ask you to let the voices of our fellow authors in prison be heard by the people of the world and to demand their immediate release.
- Daryoush Ashouri, Author, Translator and the Co-founder of the Association of Iranian Writers
- Ervand Abrahamian, Author and Professor Emeritus, City University of New York
- Azar Nafisi, Author
- Faraj Sarkohi, Writer, Journalist, Literature Critic ; A Member of German Pen ; The Recipient of Kurt-Tucholsky-prize ; World Association of Newspapers’ Golden Pen of Freedom Award and World Press Freedom
- Hero by International Press Institute
- Akram Pedramnia, Author, Translator ; A Member of Pen Canada ; the Recipient of James Joyce Foundation Scholar
- Moniro Ravanipour, Author
- Mohsen Yalfani, Author and Translator
- Nasim Khaksar, Author and Critic
- Reza Allamehzadeh, Moviemaker and Writer
- Morad Farhadpour, Author, Translator and Critical Theorist
- Akbar Masoumbaigi, Author, Translator and a Member of the Association of Iranian Writers
- Babak Ahmadi, Author, Translator and Philosophy Researcher
- Peyman Vahabzadeh, Author and Professor, University of Victoria
- Sohrab Behdad, Denison University, USA
- Farshin Kazeminia, Pierre and Marie Curie University (Paris 6)
- Amir Kianpour, PhD Candidate, University of Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis
- Mehran Mostafavi, Sacly University (Paris), Professor
- Iman Ganji, PhD in Art Philosophy and Philosophy Researcher, Free University of Berlin
- Mehrdad Darvishpour, Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor, Sociologist, Mälardalen University
- Farhad Nomani, Professor Emeritus of Economics, The American University of Paris
- Soheil Asefi, Journalist and PhD student in History, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York (CUNY)
- Saeed Hariri, Moderator, Toronto Book Club
- Azadeh Parsapour, Translator, Editor and Publisher
- Arash Kia, Faculty of Institute for Healthcare Delivery Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York