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NEW YORK, May 15 (AP) — Iranian author, journalist and human rights activist Narges Mohammadi will be honored at this week’s PEN America Literary Gala.
Mohammadi, who is currently in jail for “spreading propaganda”, will receive the 2023 PEN/Babi Freedom to Write Award.
“Narges Mohammadi, with her unwavering courage and determination to suppress the actions of the Iranian government The resistance of the world is in awe of it.”
“The sacrifice she and her family made is heartbreaking. For writers, journalists and artists, she was a beacon of free expression in one of the harshest places in the world.”
Mohammadi’s husband, journalist and activist Taghi Rahmani, will accept the award on her behalf. The PEN Gala will be held Thursday night at the American Museum of Natural History, and other honorees include “Saturday Night Live” creator Lorne Michaels, recipient of the PEN/Audible Literary Service Award.
The PEN/Barbey Award honors authors who have been persecuted for their work. Previous winners include Ukrainian freelance journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko and Chinese activist Xu Zhiyong.
Mohammadi, 51, suffered long periods of imprisonment and severe punishment, including torture and solitary confinement.
In 2020, she was released after serving 8.5 years on charges including planning a crime against Iran and forming an illegal organization. For a time, Mohammadi was vice-chairman of the banned Center for Human Rights Defenders.
In early May, she was one of three jailed Iranian journalists to receive the United Nations World Press Freedom Award. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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