PEN International is seriously concerned for the welfare of literary translator Mohammad Soleimani Nia, who has started a hunger strike in protest against his detention. Soleimani Nia has been held without charge since January 10, 2012, and is said to be in a fragile condition. PEN fears that he is held in violation of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a signatory, and calls for his immediate and unconditional release.

Background Information

According to PEN’s information, Mohammad Soleimani Nia, aged 39, was detained on January 10, 2012, after responding to a summons to report to the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. After arriving at court, he was accompanied by security guards to his home in Karaj, outside Tehran, which he shares with his parents. The guards searched the house and seized computer equipment and documents before taking him away.

Soleimani Nia has been under pressure since late November 2011, when he was questioned by security and intelligence officers and banned from leaving Iran. He is believed to be targeted for developing the professional social networking website U24, launched by Soleimani Nia in April 2007 to help Iranian professionals build links with one another.

Soleimani Nia is translator of the book Funny in Farsi by Iranian-American writer Firoozeh Dumas. He is held in solitary confinement in Tehran’s Evin prison, notorious for its harsh conditions. Prior to the start of his hunger strike on April 2, 2012, he was said to be in a fragile condition, leading to mounting concerns for his well-being.

Write A Letter

  • Protesting the detention of literary translator Mohammad Soleimani Nia;
  • Calling for his immediate and unconditional release in accordance with Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a signatory;
  • Expressing serious concerns for his well-being in detention, and urging that he be given full access to his family, lawyer and medical care.

Send Your Letter To

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic
His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Shoahada Street
Qom
Islamic Republic of Iran

Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah Sadeqh Larijani
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh (Office of the Head of the Judiciary)
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri
Tehran 1316814737
Islamic Republic of Iran

President
His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue
Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: (Via Foreign Ministry) +98 21 6 674 790
(mark: "Please forward to H.E. President Ahmadinejad")

Please copy appeals to the diplomatic representative for Iran in your country if possible.