PEN American Center and 116 poets and writers urge Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to abrogate the “cruel and unwarranted” sentences handed down to Mehdi Mousavi and Fatemeh Ekhtesari.

On October 12, 2015, the two Iranian poets were sentenced to flogging and 9 and 11 years in prison.

“We are deeply concerned by the inhumane sentences levied against Ms. Ekhtesari and Mr. Mousavi for the simple act of expressing themselves by creating art,” the letter, addressed Iran's Supreme Leader, said.

“The act of writing poetry is no crime. Freedom of expression, a fundamental right enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, allows creativity to flourish and promotes the creation of great literature. Iran has a long and proud literary history. As a poet and a scholar of poetry, we appeal to you not to allow this legacy to be clouded by cruel and unwarranted treatment of these two writers. The work of these poets deserves to be celebrated as a contribution to that rich tradition, not punished.”

According to the letter, the harsh sentences “form part of a disturbing pattern of escalating pressure on artists and cultural figures, as well as journalists,” including the Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian, who has been jailed in Iran for more than 15 months. 

Read the full letter via PEN America.

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Poetry can be a Crime in Iran