The Murder of Syrian Poet Mohammad Bashir al-Aani

The Murder of Syrian Poet Mohammad Bashir al-Aani

Loading

Al-Aani’s death was reported last Thursday. The poet, who published three collections, was reportedly kidnapped last fall.

From the PEN release:

According to media reports, Al-Aani and his son were originally held in an undisclosed locations with 100 others after they attempted to leave an area of the city that was besieged by IS forces. Reports emerged in recent days that both al-Aani and his son were killed after IS accused them of ‘apostasy’.

Al-Aani, the PEN statement continues, was known for his opposition to the Bashar al-Assad government. According to family members, the poet and his son had returned to the area to bury his wife, who had died in Damascus, when they were kidnapped.
Salil Tripathi, Chair of PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee:

We are shocked and deeply saddened by reports that Mohammad Bashir al-Aani and his son Elyas were murdered by the militant group Islamic State which had accused them of ‘apostasy’. The deliberate murder of civilians during an armed conflict is a war crime and both those who commit them and those who order them must be brought to justice. We call on all actors involved or with interests in this conflict to use all diplomatic means possible to ensure that no more civilians – including writers – are killed.



Related Articles

Memoria identitaria

Loading

Iñaki Egaña Historiador La noche había cubierto de negro las orillas por las que la humedad de la bruma del

Prison sentence asked against publisher Zarakolu and writer Güler

Loading

This week publisher Ragip Zarakolu (Belge) and writer N. Mehmet Güler were facing a prison sentence of more than seven

Manipulating social networks

Loading

In Syria and Iran, among other places, social media users are lulled into a dangerously false sense of securityJillian C.

No comments

Write a comment
No Comments Yet! You can be first to comment this post!

Write a Comment