Free Expression in Iran
The Issue
Despite its rich cultural and literary traditions, Iran is among the world’s most restrictive countries for freedom of expression. While the human rights situation has been dire for decades, the state of free expression and respect for fundamental rights has deteriorated even further in recent years. The 2021 presidential election of Ebrahim Raisi, who has credibly been accused of involvement in mass killings of political prisoners in the 1980s, signaled another move toward escalating repression. The Iranian regime has carried out an especially brutal crackdown on dissent in reaction to the protests that exploded in the country in reaction to the state killing of Mahsa (Jina) Amini in September 2022 and the ensuing “Woman Life Freedom” movement. Currently, Iran ranks second on PEN America’s Freedom to Write Index’s list of Top 10 jailers of writers, and is moreover the world’s top jailer of female writers.
Iran remains notorious for a judicial system completely lacking in transparency, under which arbitrary arrests are commonplace and lengthy sentences are handed out without due process. Hundreds of political prisoners languish behind bars as authorities withhold critical care and medical attention, putting their lives in great danger and sometimes leading to death. The Iranian government has also been engaged in the targeting and transnational kidnapping of dissidents, writers, and journalists outside the country, as well as the harassment of prisoners’ family members inside the country.
Numerous women who question gender-based restrictions or secularists who propose reform of the current theocratic system are charged with “national security” or “propaganda” crimes. Likewise, Kurds fostering cultural preservation through the celebration of the Kurdish language are consistently met with government retaliation in the form of propaganda or blasphemy charges. In spite of this, Iran’s writers and artists remain steadfast in opposing censorship, pushing back against the boundaries on expression, and fostering a vibrant literary community.
Latest News
PEN America Condemns Harsh Sentencing of Grammy-Winning Iranian Singer
March 1, 2024PEN America Strongly Denounces Imprisonment of Sepideh Rashno
February 16, 2024PEN America Condemns Detention of Iranian Dissident Rapper Vafa Ahmadpour
February 6, 2024Individual Cases
Nasrin Sotoudeh
Baktash Abtin, Reza Khandan Mahabadi, and Keyvan Bajan
Narges Mohammadi
Arash Ganji
Take Action for Nobel Peace Prize Winner Narges Mohammadi
Join scores of prominent writers, artists, and civil society organizations, as well as hundreds of free speech and human rights advocates from around the globe, in demanding that the Iranian government allow Narges Mohammadi to travel to Oslo for the Nobel Prize award ceremony on December 10. Narges has dedicated her life to the struggle for freedom and women’s rights in Iran at a cost to her personal health and well-being.
Advocacy
Joint Letter: Extend the mandates of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission and Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran
Letter: U.S. Must Prioritize Human Rights in Shaping Future Policy Toward Iran
In Letter to the UN, Imprisoned Iranian Writer Nasrin Sotoudeh Protests Executions
Statement by PEN to the 65th UN Commission on the Status of Women
Communication to the UN Commission on the Status of Women on the Persecution of Iranian Women's Rights Defenders
Open Letter to Supreme Leader of Iran on Nasrin Sotoudeh
Commentary
Rights Groups: Iranian Dissidents Remain at Risk Worldwide Without International Action
A Fifty Day Stand for Freedom
The PEN Pod: On Iran, Digital Sovereignty, and Divisive Topics on Campus
Learn More About Writers at Risk Globally
During 2022, according to data collected for PEN America’s Freedom to Write Index, Iran jailed at least 57 writers and public intellectuals, the second-highest number in the world, in connection with their writing, their work, or related activism. Globally, 36 countries—spanning all geographic regions—jailed at least 311 writers. The annual Freedom to Write Index has become an essential component of PEN America’s long-standing Writers at Risk Program, which encompasses support for and advocacy on behalf of writers under threat around the world.