Mehdi Mousavi

Mehdi Mousavi, also Mehdi Moosavi, also Seyed Mahdi Mousavi (Farsi: سید مهدی موسوی)(born 1976)[1][2] is an Iranian poet. He is known for poems on social issues. Mousavi was arrested in 2013, along with poet Fateme Ekhtesari. Mousavi was sentenced to nine years in prison plus 99 lashes.[1][3] A group of poets signed a petition asking for his release.[4][5] Mousavi escaped from Iran in January 2016.[6]

Mousavi is a poet, editor, cultural activist and pharmacist from Iran. He has been a leading force in postmodern poetry in Iran. He has published fourteen poetry collections, taught literature at universities and colleges, and arranged his own illegal literary gatherings and writing courses. He has also organized literature festivals and written lyrics for Iranian singers. Along with Fatemeh Ekhtesari, he was editor of the journal Hamin farad bud (It was the very tomorrow) until it was banned and closed in 2008. After being sentenced to nine years in prison and ninety-nine lashes, Mousavi managed to flee Iran in 2015. He came to Lillehammer as part of the Cities of Refuge Network in 2017.[7]

Arrest

On December 6, 2013, Fatemeh Ekhtesari and Mehdi Moosavi had planned to travel to Turkey for a literary workshop, but they were stopped at the airport. They were told they were under a travel ban, and their passports were confiscated. A few hours later they disappeared and did not appear again until December 24, 2014, when it was known they were in Section 2A of Evin Prison. Torture and other abuse of prisoners is common in the prison, which is controlled by the Intelligence Division of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps. On January 14, 2014, Ekhtesari and Mousavi were released on bail. Their lawyer said Moosavi was sentenced to six years in prison for "insulting the holy sanctities", three years for "storing tear gas", and 99 lashes for "illicit relations".[2] The amount of the bail was 200 million tomans, or about 60,000 USD.[8]

Work

Mehdi Mousavi is known for his collections of poetry, and as a leader in the "Postmodern Ghazal" movement, a radical poetry movement that challenges religious traditions. Many of his works were banned in Iran and distributed underground. The authorities refused publication of two of his collections, "Suddenly" and "Beeping for the Sheep". Some of Mousavi's lyrics have been performed by Shahin Najafi, an Iranian singer in exile.

Published works include:

  • The Angels Have Committed Suicide (2002)
  • I Only Publish These for You (2005)
  • The Little Bird Was Neither a Bird nor Little (2010)[2]

References
  1. Gladstone, Rick (1 November 2015). "Petition Urges Ayatollah to Pardon Condemned Iranian Poets" – via NYTimes.com.
  2. "Iran: Fatemeh Ekhtesari and Mehdi Moosavi sentenced - English PEN". 21 October 2015.
  3. "Two Poets Sentenced to Flogging and Nine and Eleven Years in Prison – Center for Human Rights in Iran".
  4. "Poets Rally for Iranian Colleagues - PEN America". 30 October 2015.
  5. Dehghan, Saeed Kamali (4 November 2015). "Poets lobby Iran to pardon pair convicted of insulting religion" – via The Guardian.
  6. "Iranian Poet Flees Because Of Crippling Censorship".
  7. {{cite web|url=https://litteraturfestival.no/en/artists/mehdi-mousavi.html
  8. rpersianwikileaks (3 December 2014). "محاکمه فاطمه اختصاری و مهدی موسوی در دادگاه انقلاب".


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