“Fariba and Mahvash were two of the women prisoners I met in Evin who inspired me the most. They showed me what it means to be selfless, to care more about one’s community and beliefs than about oneself.” Roxana Saberi
In over six years imprisonment, as well as sharing a cell with her Bahá’í co-worker, Fariba Kamalabadi, Mahvash Sabet has also lived with a number of other prisoners including American-Iranian-Japanese journalist Roxana Saberi. In 2009, while Mahvash and Fariba were still awaiting trial, Roxana spent some of her 100 days in prison sharing a cell with these women. She still advocates for their release.
__________________________________________
Teacher and poet Mahvash Sabet is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence in Evin prison, Tehran. She is one of a group of seven Baha’i leaders known as the “Yaran-i-Iran” – “Friends of Iran” – who have been detained since 2008 for their faith and activities related to running the affairs of the Bahá’í community in Iran. Mahvash Sabet began writing poetry in prison, and a collection of her poetry entitled Prison Poems was published in English translation on 1 April 2013.
PEN International is calling on the Iranian authorities to release Mahvash Sabet and all other writers imprisoned in Iran solely for exercising their right to legitimate freedom of expression.
To take more action for Mahvash Sabet visit here
To read more about, and take action for, all of the cases highlighted by PEN International on the Day of the Imprisoned Writer visit here