(PEN/IFEX) – The following open letter to President Khatami of Iran was issued by PEN on 8 October 1998: **For recent examples of attacks on the press in Iran, see IFEX alerts of 8 October, 2 October, 23 September, 20 September 1998 and others** Your Excellency, As a worldwide organization of writers dedicated to protecting […]
(PEN/IFEX) – The following open letter to President Khatami of Iran was
issued by PEN on 8 October 1998:
**For recent examples of attacks on the press in Iran, see IFEX alerts of 8
October, 2 October, 23 September, 20 September 1998 and others**
Your Excellency,
As a worldwide organization of writers dedicated to protecting the freedom
of expression wherever it is threatened, we have followed the case of our
Iranian colleagues with great concern since the first threats against them
over four years ago with the signing of the
Declaration of 134.
Our concern has mounted with each revelation of a new arrest or the further
clamp-down on the fundamental right to freedom of expression as demonstrated
by the closure of countless dailies in the recent months. Only last week we
heard of the possible charges of “Moharab be khoda” (enmity with God) –
which carries the death penalty- leveled against the editor-in-chief,
license holder and two other staff members of “Tous” daily (see IFEX alerts
of 8 October, 23 September, 20 September, 16 September, and 4 August 1998).
We write now in response to reports on Friday, October 2, 1998, indicating
the questioning of writers, Houshang Golshiri, Kazem Kardevani, Mohammad
Jafar Pouyandeh, Mansour Koushan and Mohammad Mokhtari, in connection with
their invitation to the surviving members of the 134 writers, to attend a
meeting scheduled for Thursday, October 1, 1998. During this meeting, the
members were to ratify the Constitution of the Writers’ Association. The
aforementioned were warned by authorities to cancel the meeting and were
called in for questioning by the Revolutionary Court.
Their release was subsequently followed by an official order to re-appear in
Court to give further explanations of their proposed gathering.
We are gravely concerned at what appears to be an intense campaign on the
part of the government to close down publications on spurious charges of
printing lies and articles threatening national security. In this light, we
fear that the latest developments affecting the above mentioned writers stem
from the belief that their association is an illegal covert political
organization. Of utmost concern to us at PEN is that national security is
being used as a pretext for the censorship of independent papers and writers
engaged in literary activity. If this is, in fact, the case, we urge you to
demonstrate your commitment to the
rule of law and the free flow of ideas in Iran by ensuring that the charges
against the Writers’ Association are dropped, and that the writers are not
only permitted their right to freedom of assembly and association, but also
allowed to exercise this right without fear of reprisal. This would be an
essential first step toward establishing a society where writers and artists
can work freely without fear of harassment, and where creative freedom can
flourish.
Appeals To
Similar appeals can be sent to:
His Excellency Mohammad Khatemi
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue
Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: +98 21 64 66 415
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
