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November 9th, 2000
Your Excellencies,
On behalf
of the 2700 writers who are members of PEN American Center, we write to
express our deep dismay at the ongoing public trials, by the
Revolutionary Court of Tehran, of writers, journalists and
intellectuals, including Mahmoud Dowlatabadi, Mohammad Ali Sepanloo,
Moniroo Ravanipour, Hassan Youssefi Eshkevari (tried by the Special
Court for the Clergy)
Mehrangiz Kar, Shahla
Lahiji, Jamileh Kadivar, Shahla Sherkat, Khadijeh Hajdini Moghadam,
Akbar Ganji, Mohammad Reza Jalaipour, Said Sadr, Khalil Rostamkhani, Ali
Reza Alavi-Tabar,Ezzatollah Sahabi, Fariborz Raisdana, and Ali Afshari.
These
individuals, some of whom are distinguished and internationally known
writers and Journalists, have been accused of being
counter-revolutionary and of threatening national security by organizing
and/or attending the Berlin Conference. Their charges have ranged from
propaganda against the Islamic Republic, and acting against national
security, to “waging war against God” (moharebeh) and even apostasy.
Particularly disturbing are the charges against HojjatulIslam
Eshkevari for apostasy, and Mr. Said Sadr and Mr. Khalil Rostamkhani for
“waging war against God”. Mr. Sadr and Mr. Rostamkhani did not
participate in the conference in Berlin, but are accused of working on
the organization of the conference in their capacity as translators. The
charges against these three individuals can carry the penalty of
execution.
The
Berlin conference was organized by the Heinrich Boll Foundation on April
7-8, 2000 to discuss the impact of the sixth parliamentary elections in
Iran. We would respectfully like to remind you that conferences such as
these are convened for discussion and the free exchange of ideas, a
right that is guaranteed by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights. In fact, these participants were invited to and
participated in an international conference, in which they merely
expressed their opinions. It is outrageous that participants in an open
international conference would be accused of endangering national
security, or of any other political charge.
This is
only the latest evidence of the blatant disregard for the fundamental
right of free expression by the judiciary in Iran. In April, a number of
individuals accused of the serial murders of writers and
intellectuals—events, which shocked the international literary
community—were freed, and the process of finding and punishing those
responsible seems to have been halted. Furthermore, a major crackdown on
the independent press has continued, resulting in the closure of over 20
newspapers and magazines. The detention, imprisonment, and trial of
editors and journalists have become a matter of daily occurrence.
Writers, journalists, or anyone engaged in critical thought or
analysis risks censorship, harassment, public humiliation and
imprisonment.
As members of the international community of writers, we firmly
believe that free expression is a fundamental right.
We write to you to as a matter of utmost urgency to respect that
right, to drop all the charges against these writers, journalists,
translators and intellectuals, and to allow these respected individuals
to return to their lives and professions.
Thank you
for your attention
We look forward to your
response in this matter.
Sincerely,
K. Anthony Appiah
Chair
Freedom-to-Write Committee
Michael Roberts
Executive Director
PEN American Center |