When Writing Gets You Jailed
post by Michelle Griep
I'm an equal opportunity offender. If I haven't offended you yet, hang on. I'll get to you. Why am I such a hater? I'm not. I just open my brain and let the words pour out my fingertips onto the computer and sometimes that offends people. That's how a writer shares his voice with the world. Anything less comes off as stilted and cold. But thankfully I live in a country that still adheres to the first amendment. Not so in Iran.
Today we're roaming the neighborhood of injustice. Have you heard of Fatemeh Ekhtesari and Mehdi Mousavi? I didn't think so. I hadn't either, but now that I have, I need to share their plight.
Fatemeh has been sentenced to 11 1/2 years in prison and Mehdi for 9 years simply for writing poetry that was deemed as "propaganda against the state" and for "insulting sanctities." I don't even know what that means, but dang, I'm pretty sure I've insulted lots of sanctities in my time, so I feel for them.
But time in the big house isn't their only punishment. They both get 99 lashes for shaking hands with members of the opposite sex who they weren't related to at literary events. Yep. Shaking hands. I shudder to think what would've happened had they actually hugged someone. Gasp.
What can be done about this travesty? PEN America is pulling together a letter/petition to send to the Ayahtollah. If you're interested in adding your John Hancock to the list, click HERE. And if signing petitions just isn't your thing, prayers would be appreciated on their behalf.
But time in the big house isn't their only punishment. They both get 99 lashes for shaking hands with members of the opposite sex who they weren't related to at literary events. Yep. Shaking hands. I shudder to think what would've happened had they actually hugged someone. Gasp.
What can be done about this travesty? PEN America is pulling together a letter/petition to send to the Ayahtollah. If you're interested in adding your John Hancock to the list, click HERE. And if signing petitions just isn't your thing, prayers would be appreciated on their behalf.