PEN er koblet inn.
DnF-medlem Elyas Poorgholam er blant mange som har reagert på fengslingene og som ønsker fokus på saken. Han vil gjerne dele denne teksten signert Bahram Rahmani, forfatter og journalist, og Hossein Jehani, filmskaper:
In Defence of the Iranian Writers Association
On September the 26th, 2020. the verdicts of Reza Khandan Mahabadi, Baktash Abtin and Keyvan Pagen will be carried out. All three of them belong to the highly prosecuted Writers Association of Iran, with both Reza and Baktash being a part of the board of the association (with Keyvan being a former board member). Reza and Baktash were both sentenced to six years in prison whilst Keyvan was given a sentence of three years and six months. 21 of June 2020 they were summoned to appear before a court although had their sentencing postponed until September the 26th. The Islamic Regime of Iran is determined to continue its agenda of censorship, repression, torture and policing despite the prevalence of the coronavirus pandemic and heavy economic sanctions. At a time when the Islamic Regime of Iran is providing leave for ordinary prisoners but keeping political prisoners in cells where the pandemic runs rampant is an authoritarian act by the government. We expect all people of the world who stand by freedom, the media, and international organizations who defend writers’ rights to stand behind Reza, Baktash and Keyvan. We hope that other organizations, such as Pen International, provide support to this cause.