(NEW YORK) — Iranian writer, poet, and translator Ali Asadollahi has been violently arrested from his home by security forces. His detention on undisclosed charges signals a worsening campaign of intimidation and violence against writers amid the state’s brutal crackdown on protestors. PEN America denounces this outrageous assault on free expression and demands Asadollahi’s immediate and unconditional release.
During the middle of the night raid, on January 24, security forces confiscated Asadollahi’s devices and papers, and he was taken to an undisclosed location. Asadollahi had received threats in early January that he was being targeted, with unknown callers warning that he would be arrested soon.
“In the context of horrific and widespread state-directed violence in which tens of thousands of protestors have been killed or wounded, coupled with a near-total internet blackout, the arrest of Ali Asadollahi on unknown charges is a grave assault on freedom of expression,” said Karin Karlekar, Director of Writers at Risk at PEN America. “This is a signal that the Iranian authorities’ familiar playbook of cracking down on writers to silence dissenting voices and crush cultural and intellectual resistance and resilience has begun. We call for Asadollahi’s immediate release, and for an end to state repression, including against other writers, journalists, and human rights defenders.”
Asadollahi is an internationally acclaimed poet and member of the Iranian Writers Association (IWA). He has published several collections and has most recently been recognized by Lunch Ticket with the Gabo Prize. He was previously arrested in November 2022 in the midst of the Mahsa Amini uprising. During that detention he was moved in and out of solitary confinement and interrogated repeatedly for extended periods of time, as well as being denied family visits and access to legal counsel. International pressure contributed to his release in February 2023.
Iran is currently experiencing country-wide protests triggered by economic hardship that quickly shifted into broader demands for political change. The protests began on December 28, 2025, and the violent state-directed crackdown on the demonstrations escalated dramatically on the nights of January 8 and 9, during which an estimated thousands of protestors were killed. In this environment, existing detainees are at heightened risk of custodial abuse, and known dissident voices are at a higher risk of arrest. A pre-planned and near-total internet blackout has made documentation and information-sharing about the scale of the massacre, and the well-being of individual writers, journalists, and human rights defenders extremely difficult.
Asadollahi’s detention is not an isolated incident. On January 8, IWA board member Yousef Ansari and another participant were arrested after reading a statement and poetry at a memorial ceremony for Baktash Abtin; they remain in detention. Abtin, a poet, filmmaker, IWA board member, and PEN/Barbey Freedom To Write Awardee, died in custody four years ago after delays in receiving medical treatment in prison; to date, there has been no accountability for his death. Since the 1980s, many IWA members have been jailed and killed for their support of free expression and opposition to state censorship.
In recent days, Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha, a screenwriter and director, have been threatened by security forces with imprisonment and the confiscation of their property, and Masoud Yousef Hasarchin, a translator, has been arrested without any clear charges. Numerous other writers and artists have been killed in the protests.
In PEN America’s 2024 Freedom to Write Index, Iran ranked in second place globally, jailing a total of 43 writers during the year. Since the start of the June military conflict between Iran and Israel known as the Twelve-Day War, an increasing number of writers, scholars, poets, creative artists, social media commentators, and activists have been detained or received summonses, while others have faced extrajudicial threats or additional charges. On December 12, PEN America’s 2023 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Awardee and Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi was violently arrested alongside dozens of other activists and journalists while attending a memorial service in Mashhad; most of the group remain detained and several, including Mohammadi, have significant health concerns. More information on PEN America’s work on Iran is available here.
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible.