Iranian Writers' Association: Arash Ganji was sent to prison under the pretext of translating a book by the government

The Iranian Writers' Association condemned in a statement on Tuesday the execution of the prison sentence of Arash Ganji, a writer, translator, and member of the association's board of directors, and called for "the unconditional release of him, other imprisoned members of the association, and all political and ideological prisoners" in Iran.

Arash Ganji was arrested yesterday and transferred to Evin Prison after appearing at the Evin Courthouse's sentence execution unit.

The Iranian Writers' Association wrote in its statement: Arash Ganji "like the three previous members of the editorial board, Reza Khandan (Mahabadi), Bektash Abtin, and Keyvan Bajan, struggled for a long time with the government's case-building and was finally thrown into prison under the pretext of translating a book about developments in Syrian Kurdistan and on false and baseless charges of "gathering and colluding with the intention of acting against national security," "propaganda against the regime," and "membership and cooperation with a group opposed to the regime."

The statement continued: "The oppressors of freedom are always accomplices of each other; translating a book about developments in one country into another is considered a criminal act and sends the translator to prison."

The Writers' Association has stated: "The unconditional commitment of the Writers' Association of Iran to 'freedom of expression without any restrictions or exceptions' has always linked the voice of the Association to the voice of the oppressed, the oppressed, and the protesting people; the voice of the people who have responded to every protest with bullets, torture, and imprisonment. It is this commitment that has always kept the Association steadfast in defending freedom of expression, despite murders, arrests, and detentions."

The Writers' Association says that Arash Ganji suffers from heart disease and any pressure or anxiety puts his eyesight at serious risk.

This center has held the government of the Islamic Republic and the judiciary "responsible for any harm done to the health and life" of Arash Ganji.

Arash Ganji was arrested on January 1, 2019, after security forces visited his home and transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence's detention center in Evin Prison. Some time later, on January 19 of the same year, he was released from Evin Prison after posting a bail of 450 million tomans until the end of the trial.

The author was sentenced to five years in prison in the first instance court, whose verdict was announced on January 10, 2018, on charges such as "gathering and colluding with the intention of acting against national security," one year in "propaganda against the regime," and five years in "membership and cooperation with a group opposed to the regime," for a total of 11 years, five of which are enforceable.

According to Arash Ganji's defense attorney, the case for all of these accusations is the translation of a book about developments in Syrian Kurdistan (A Small Key to a Big Gate).

Source: Radio Farda