Fatemeh Ekhtesari

Iranian poet & writer

Fatemeh Ekhtesari (Farsi: فاطمه اختصاری )(born 1984 or 1985)[1] is a poet from Iran. She is known for poems about Iranian women.[2]

Fatemeh Ekhtesari in 2018

Fatemeh Ekhtesari was arrested with Mehdi Mousavi in 2013. They were put in solitary confinement and interrogated. In January 2015, they were released on bail.[2] Ekhtesari received a prison sentence of 11½ years and 99 lashes.[3]

Ekhtesari's writing was approved by the Ministry of Islamic Guidance. However, Ekhtesari said she shook hands with male participants at a poetry event in Sweden. This is illegal in Iran.[3] Ekhtesari made the statement during interrogation, but during the trial, she denied the charges.[4]

More than 100 poets signed a letter asking for a pardon.[5] In 2016, Ekhtesari and Musavi escaped from Iran.[6]

References

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  1. Gladstone, Rick (1 November 2015). "Petition Urges Ayatollah to Pardon Condemned Iranian Poets" – via NYTimes.com.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Gladstone, Rick (1 November 2015). "Petition Urges Ayatollah to Pardon Condemned Iranian Poets". Retrieved 5 February 2017 – via NYTimes.com.
  3. 3.0 3.1 CNN, Jethro Mullen. "Rights groups: Iranian poets face flogging, prison". Retrieved 5 February 2017. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  4. "Two Poets Sentenced to Flogging and Nine and Eleven Years in Prison". Iran Human Rights website. 14 October 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  5. Dehghan, Saeed Kamali (4 November 2015). "Poets lobby Iran to pardon pair convicted of insulting religion". Retrieved 5 February 2017 – via The Guardian.
  6. "Iranian Poet Flees Because Of Crippling Censorship". Retrieved 5 February 2017.