Mehdi Mousavi

Who is Mehdi Mousavi?

Mehdi Mousavi is an Iranian poet and writer, born in 1976, and a leading figure in the postmodern ghazal movement.

His poetry, teaching and literary workshops have influenced a generation of Iranian writers. His work has addressed ordinary life, political repression, censorship and resistance in Iran.

He was arrested and imprisoned in Iran because of his literary work, later fled the country, and came to Norway through the ICORN Cities of Refuge programme.

Arrest, imprisonment and sentence in Iran

Mehdi Mousavi's prosecution in Iran is extensively documented by international media and freedom-of-expression organisations.

He and Fatemeh Ekhtesari were arrested in 2013 and held in Evin Prison, including periods of solitary confinement and interrogation.

Mehdi was subsequently sentenced to nine years in prison and 99 lashes. Contemporary reporting and free-expression organisations documented charges connected to his poetry, publishing and expression, including accusations of insulting religious sanctities and propaganda against the state.

The documented reasons for his prosecution in Iran are therefore not a matter of later interpretation or reconstruction.

Pattern of the harassment campaign

For more than a year, Mehdi Mousavi and Fatemeh Ekhtesari have been subjected to a sustained pattern of online attacks and direct approaches to people and organisations associated with their work.

Activity has repeatedly intensified around public events, publications and other professional appearances.

In addition to social-media posts, allegations have been sent directly to event organisers, venues, journalists, publishers and professional partners, frequently accompanied by requests or pressure to cancel events, withdraw invitations or distance themselves from Mehdi and Fatemeh.

The allegations have not remained consistent. Preserved material shows changes in emphasis and presentation over time. In a number of instances, claims appear to have been adapted to the particular interests or responsibilities of the organisation being approached. The seriousness of the accusations has also escalated.

Some of the people circulating these claims can appear credible at first sight. In several cases, however, basic checks of publicly available information have identified significant inconsistencies in stated identities, affiliations, relationships, timelines or accounts of events.

What is established

After more than a year of repeated circulation and direct approaches to organisations, there is a substantial factual record against which the allegations and the campaign surrounding them can be assessed.

Police and security authorities

The harassment campaign has been reported to the relevant Norwegian authorities and evidence has been preserved.

Dates, correspondence, screenshots and other relevant material can be made available to appropriate organisations and journalists where necessary.

Personal information, private correspondence and material that could interfere with police or security work will not be published publicly.

A documented pattern of transnational repression

Harassment, reputational attacks and attempts to isolate Iranian dissidents abroad do not occur in a vacuum.

Norway's Police Security Service has documented Iranian intelligence activity directed towards dissidents in Norway. Its threat assessments identify dissidents, human-rights organisations, academics and journalists critical of the Iranian authorities among relevant target groups.

Independent research has also documented harassment, intimidation, surveillance, online attacks, information manipulation and smear campaigns among methods used in transnational repression.

This wider pattern is relevant context. It is not, by itself, evidence identifying who directs this particular campaign.

Public work has continued

During the period in which the allegations have circulated, Mehdi and Fatemeh have continued to publish, speak, perform and work with established literary, educational and human-rights organisations.

Organisations receiving hostile communications have repeatedly proceeded with events and professional collaborations.

That should not be treated as a formal adjudication of the allegations. It does, however, show that repeated attempts to secure cancellations, withdrawn invitations or professional isolation have not produced those outcomes.