Iranian Writers Association Demands Release of Milad Janat, Translator and Poet Detained in Iran
The Iranian Writers Association issued a statement calling for the immediate release of Milad Janat, a translator, poet, and member of the Iranian Writers Association, who was transferred to an unknown location after his arrest last week.
On Thursday, Mordad 2, the Iranian Writers Association released a statement noting the escalation of “suppression of protesting people” in Iran, announcing that Milad Janat was arrested as part of these suppressions and transferred to an unknown location, stating that “the Iranian Writers Association has so far received no information about the detaining authority or his place of detention.”
The Iranian Writers Association condemned Janat’s arrest and called for his unconditional release and that of all political and ideological prisoners.
In this statement, referring to the spread of coronavirus in Iran and the long history of violations of detainees’ rights by security and judicial authorities, it stated that under such circumstances “the government has seized the opportunity and, in complete disregard for people’s lives, proceeded with further suppression and detention of protesters and displays of its authority.”
The Iranian Writers Association also expressed concern about the health and lives of prisoners, including Milad Janat, in current conditions, warning that the government and the detaining authority are responsible for his life.
Milad Janat, a translator, poet, and member of the Iranian Writers Association, was arrested on Tuesday, Tir 24, by a group of security personnel at his home and, after a thorough search of his residence and seizure of many of his personal items, was transferred by security forces to an unknown location.
The Iranian Writers Association stated in this declaration that it is an independent institution “that throughout its fifty-year history has consistently stood firm on freedom of thought and expression without any restrictions or exceptions, and has faced threats, imprisonment, and even the killing of some of its members by those in power.”
Security measures against writers and poets in Iran continue, while on Khordad 15 of this year, Mostafa Badkubei, a poet and critical Iranian literary activist who had previously been sentenced to one year in prison by the Revolutionary Court, was arrested upon reporting to the Evin Prosecutor’s Office and transferred to prison.
The U.S. State Department has repeatedly condemned the Islamic Republic regime’s violent treatment of the Iranian people under various pretexts, including restriction of freedom of choice in dress, as well as repeated and continuous violations of Iranian citizens’ rights by regime agents.
