(NEW YORK)—PEN America today joined almost 300 scholars and writers worldwide—including Fatemeh Shams, Ervand Abrahamian, and Judith Butler—calling for the release of a group of prominent progressive scholars, writers, and translators arrested in early November, as well as all other unjustly detained writers in Iran.
“The Iranian authorities have a long and troubling history of intimidating and repressing independent academics, writers, and dissenting voices in the country,” said Karin Deutsch Karlekar, PEN America’s director of Writers at Risk. “These scholars are being targeted for their work and their writing, plain and simple.”
“There is no crime in academic inquiry, or translating a scholarly article, or peacefully expressing one’s views, despite what the Iranian government seems to want the world to believe. We call on Iranian authorities to immediately order the release of every unjustly imprisoned writer in the country.”
On November 3, Iranian security forces detained four notable progressive intellectuals in Tehran: economists Parviz Sedaghat and Mohammad Maljoo, sociologist Mahsa Asadollanejad, and writer and translator Shirin Karimi. Security forces confiscated electronic devices, books and papers, and other materials during the home raids. Two others were summoned for questioning following the raids.
More than a week later, the whereabouts of most of the detainees is unclear, leaving their family members with little information, including about the charges or reason for the arrests.
The raids seem to be part of a wider spate of detentions targeting people who have criticized Iran’s political repression and social injustices. The scholars stand accused of collusion with foreign powers, despite not only criticizing domestic policies, but also opposing foreign interference through economic sanctions. In the face of mounting military tensions in the region, the writers have also criticized war, which they argue hurts ordinary Iranians.
Sedaghat and Maljoo have written commentary about the worsening economic conditions of the middle and working classes, while Asadollanejad, Karimi, and Ghanbari are known for their translations of leftist texts on topics including economics and gender equality.
The petition, initiated by a group of international scholars, outlines concerns that these arrests indicate the start of a ‘new wave’ of repression intended to silence and intimidate independent and critical voices in a blatant violation of academic freedom, and calls for these scholars’ release.
“The recent attack on the intellectual community in Iran is not only a violation of the UN Declaration of Human Rights but is also highly regrettable—especially since the victims (journalists, academics, and writers) all have an impeccable record of speaking on behalf of the legitimate interests of the Iranian people,” said Ervand Abrahamian, professor emeritus of history at the City University of New York.
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. Most recently, on Nov. 10, writer, translator, and activist Keyvan Mohtadi’s apartment was raided and he was summoned to report for questioning. More information on PEN America’s work on Iran is available here.
For the petition/signatories, click here.
About PEN America
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