Zarganar Maung Thura
On April 6, 2021, comedian Zarganar was arrested in a broader campaign against cultural figures following the 2021 military coup. He was released conditionally on October 18, 2021 after… More
Semiramis Babaei
Babaei is an award-winning dramatist, journalist, translator, and literary writer. Her work includes plays, literary criticism, theater criticism, and social satire for magazines. She was arrested at her home… More
Mozhgan Kavousi
Kurdish writer and documentary filmmaker Kavousi was arrested at her home on September 22, 2022, and spent at least 35 days in solitary confinement. She was tried for "corruption… More
Sara Mottaghi
A poet and online commentator, Mottaghi was summoned to court after writing a piece favoring the preservation of a pre-Islamic Iranian celebration of Sepandarmazgan. She was charged with blasphemy… More
Arash Ramezani
Literary writer and poet Ramezani was arrested at his workplace on October 23, 2022 and taken to an unknown location. No charges were brought against him, but he remained… More
Atefeh Chaharmahalian
Chaharmahalian is a literary activist and poet, and a former board member of the Iranian Writers' Association. She was arrested on October 3, 2022 after receiving multiple phone calls… More
Behnaz Amani
Literary writer and poet Behnaz Amani was arrested near her home on October 20, 2022 and indicted with “conspiracy against national security” in November 2022. The charges were not… More
Elnaz Mohammadi
Columnist Elnaz Mohammadi was summoned to the prosecutor's office for questioning on February 5, 2023. The motive is unclear but Mohammadi had previously expressed support for the anti-government protests… More
Emad Ghavidel
Ghavidel, a rapper, was arrested at his workplace on October 26, 2022, allegedly for "inciting chaos." He suffered ill treatment while in jail because of his identity as an… More
Hadi Hakim Shahafi
Online commentator and academic writer, Shahafi was first arrested in December 2019 and spent 10 days in detention. He was imprisoned on February 22, 2022, and released temporarily on… More
Support for the freedom to read with exclusive designs by Todd Parr, Mike Curato, Art Spiegelman, and more!
