(NEW YORK)—PEN America strongly condemned the detention and harassment this week of six writers in Iran as authorities there ramp up a crackdown on free expression across the country.
Since the start of the June military conflict between Iran and Israel known as the Twelve-Day War, writers, poets, creative artists, social media commentators, and activists have been detained while others have faced extrajudicial threats or additional charges.
“This week’s outrageous home raids, interrogations, and detentions of a number of prominent independent writers and thinkers sound a dire warning that any type of scholarly analysis or critique of economic and social policies in Iran can be grounds for unjust criminal charges,” said Karin Deutsch Karlekar, director of Writers at Risk at PEN America, which closely tracks the imprisonment of and threats against writers around the world.
On November 3, Iranian security forces raided the homes of several notable leftist intellectuals in Tehran, including sociologist Mahsa Asadollanejad, economists Mohammad Maljoo and Parviz Sedaghat, and translators Heyman Rahimi and Shirin Karimi. All were either summoned or detained and interrogated by authorities.
Most of the targets were arrested in their homes, and security forces confiscated electronic devices, books and papers, and other materials during the raids. Rahimi was not detained during the sweeps, but has been summoned for questioning. Researcher and translator Rasoul Ghanbari was released after spending several hours in detention. As of Wednesday, however, the whereabouts of most of those detained were still unknown, 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 and targeting of academics and others who have voiced criticism of Iran’s economic policies and social conditions or other dissident views. In July, for example, Parviz Sedaghat had written critically of Iran’s war with Israel. Asadollanejad, Karimi, and Ghanbari are known for their translations of leftist texts on topics including economics and gender.
The pressure by Iranian authorities has been ratcheted up on writers and other independent thinkers, even those who are already serving prison terms. During the Twelve-Day War, the June 23 Israeli airstrike on Evin prison, which houses the country’s most prominent political prisoners including dozens of writers, placed additional trauma and uncertainty on jailed writers as many were relocated or denied contact with family members.
“We strongly condemn these repressive tactics meant to quash independent thinking, analysis, and expression, and demand that the government release all writers from jail,” said Karlekar.
In PEN America’s 2024 Freedom to Write Index, Iran ranked in second place globally, jailing a total of 43 writers during the year. 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. Learn more at pen.org.