PEN World Association calls for release of political and ideological prisoners
The World Pen Association published a text on Twitter calling on the Islamic Republic to release political prisoners and dissidents.
The World Pen Association published this text on Twitter on Monday, May 28, referring to Iranian authorities' claim that thousands of prisoners had been released from Iranian prisons following the outbreak of the coronavirus, and announced: "Iranian authorities have temporarily released thousands of prisoners. However, many prisoners of conscience and dissidents remain behind bars."
The association called on Iranian government authorities to ensure that all those imprisoned for peacefully expressing their opinions are “immediately and unconditionally released.”
It was early March of last year that Ebrahim Raisi, the head of the Islamic Republic's judiciary, issued a new circular ordering limited leave for a group of prisoners sentenced to imprisonment, subject to certain conditions. According to one of the provisions of the circular, political prisoners who have been sentenced to more than five years in prison on charges of "acting against national security" are "exempt from being sent on leave."
As such, most political prisoners of conscience, who have been sentenced to more than 5 years, were not included in this directive, and despite the outbreak of the coronavirus in Iranian prisons, the lives of countless prisoners have been put at risk.
The World PEN Association, with a history of nearly 100 years, is a non-political and non-governmental organization whose members are leaders of different countries around the world. An association that considers its goal to "bring together writers who are committed to values such as freedom, tolerance, and peace."
Source: Voice of America
