Execution of Iranian writers' prison sentences and intensification of repression of dissenting opinions

The Iranian Writers' Association announced in a statement on Saturday, October 25, that the prison sentences for three members of the association have been implemented. Reza Khandan (Mahabadi), Bektash Abtin, and Keyvan Bajan are three members of the Writers' Association who were previously sentenced to six years in prison each by Branch 28 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran, presided over by Judge Moghiseh.

On January 28, 2018, the appeals court of these three writers and researchers, presided over by Judge Ahmad Zargar, was held, during which the six-year prison sentences for Reza Khandan Mahabadi and Bektash Abtin were upheld, and Keyvan Bajan's prison sentence was reduced to three years and six months.

The authors were charged in court with "publishing the internal newsletter of the Writers' Association," "preparing a research book on the fifty-year history of the Writers' Association," and "attending the graves of the victims of the serial political murders of Jafar Poyandeh and Mohammad Mokhtari and participating in the annual ceremony of Ahmad Shamloo."

Nasser Zarafshan, a lawyer and member of the Iranian Writers' Association, referred to the confirmation of the writers' verdict in the appeals court and the failure to observe legal standards in holding this trial, telling the Human Rights Campaign in Iran that unfortunately, "appeal" courts in Iran have turned into "confirmation" courts, and although the appeals court is supposed to be the second instance for hearing cases, it is so "insipid" and "ceremonial" that the verdicts in these courts are only "confirmed."

Referring to the charges against the writers, Mr. Zarafshan says that none of these charges have any legal or judicial basis, and there are many contradictions regarding the issuance of these sentences and the announced punishments.

Nasser Zarafshan, noting that all contradictions in these rulings have been reported to the court, told the Human Rights Campaign, "These rulings have no legal or judicial aspect, but only a political aspect."

According to this lawyer and member of the Iranian Writers' Association, the confrontations with writers in these courts show that the authorities in the Islamic Republic do not tolerate different opinions, and this judicial and security pressure is the result of the authorities' inability to hear the voices of those who oppose them.

Nasser Zarafshan says that "attending someone's grave" is not a crime in any law anywhere in the world, and no legal standard can be used to issue a sentence against anyone based on this.

According to the official Facebook page of the Writers' Association, Reza Khandan and Bektash Abtin, two members of the Board of Secretaries of the Writers' Association of Iran, and Keyvan Bajan, a former member of this board, were transferred to prison at around 3:00 PM on Saturday, October 25, to serve their sentences after appearing at the Evin Court's Sentence Execution Branch.

The execution of these writers' sentences was delayed due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. However, despite the ongoing alarming situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak in Iran, the execution of these three members of the Writers' Association has been carried out.

Confirming that the content and form of the sentences issued to writers show that the main fear of those in power is the continued activity of independent civil and trade union institutions such as the Writers' Association, Nasser Zarafshan told the Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that the Writers' Association is a "trade union" organization and has never sought to "share" power or become a "rival" institution for power.

According to Nasser Zarafshan, the widespread pressure on writers, as well as the Iranian Writers' Association, indicates that the authorities in power do not want to hear a voice opposing their own views.

Referring to the clashes that have taken place with writers and poets in other cities in Iran, who do not necessarily have union or institutional activities, Mr. Zarafshan says, "Writers and intellectuals have always written against censorship and defended freedom of expression, and it has always been those in power who have always practiced censorship and rushed to clash with writers, but the severity of this is unprecedented in the current era."

According to Nasser Zarafshan, the pressure on intellectuals and writers has now increased to such an extent that sometimes individuals are even questioned for "keeping silent" on a specific issue.

The trial and issuance of these heavy judicial sentences for the three members of the Writers' Association led to numerous reactions. In response to the execution of this sentence against the writers, Reporters Without Borders condemned the judicial harassment and detention of writers and journalists in Iran.

The text published by this human rights organization notes that Reza Khandan (Mahabadi), Bektash Abtin, and Keyvan Bajan have been imprisoned for fighting censorship and defending freedom of expression.

Eighty unions around the world also called for the unconditional release of all workers, trade unionists, writers, and prisoners of conscience.

Last year, more than 900 writers, translators, and poets wrote a letter to executive and judicial authorities calling the sentences issued to three members of the Writers' Association "unjust" and "a heavy blow to the fundamental rights of the individual Iranian nation." The World PEN Association also expressed its "deep concern" about these sentences in a statement.

Bektash Abtin, one of the writers sentenced to prison earlier and after his trial in the appeals court, told the Human Rights Campaign in Iran about his charges: "One of the examples of my charges is my participation in writing the book 'Fifty Years of the Writers' Association.' It would have been an honor for me to have played a role, but unfortunately everyone knows that I had no role in writing this book and that I was living in Kish at the time and still live in Kish and was not there to help. Attributing it to me is completely false."

According to Nasser Zarafshan, the four-volume book "Fifty Years of the Iranian Writers' Association" was a historical study of the Writers' Association. According to Bektash Abtin, a book that was printed in a limited number and that the printed copies of the book were stolen after leaving the printing house and did not even reach the members of the association.

The Iranian Writers' Association is one of the oldest independent cultural organizations in Iran, which has witnessed pressure and strictures from the authorities in its fifty-year history. Undoubtedly, the series of murders of Iranian thinkers and writers, known as the "chain murders", is a clear sign of the inability of those in power to tolerate thinkers and intellectuals who, despite all the pressure, have worked for many years to maintain the presence of movements defending freedom of expression.

One of the alleged cases against the writers' association members is that they visited the graves of Jafar Poyandeh and Mohammad Mokhtari and held memorial services for the two deceased writers. Poyandeh and Mokhtari were long-time members of the association who were killed by security agents during a series of murders.

Although pressure on the Writers' Association has increased in recent years, this independent trade union has always reacted to the arrests and trials of writers and poets.

Source: Iran Human Rights Campaign