Protest by More than 100 Activists in Kermanshah and Ilam against Continued Detention of Abas Jalilian and Mehdi Hamidi!

More than 100 cultural, literary and civil activists in Kermanshah and Ilam issued a statement in which they protested the detention of two activists in the city of Kermanshah in recent weeks, and demanded their immediate release. The activists began the statement by saying: “As announced by Kurdistan Human Rights Watch in recent weeks, Mehdi Hamidi and Abas Jalilian were detained by security guards on December 11 and December 16, respectively”. In another part of the letter, the cultural and literary identity of the two activists in Kermanshah was underscored: “What is clear, considering the past cultural activities of Mr. Hamidi and the published literary works of Mr. Jalilian, is that the principal domain of their activities was concentrated on and limited to Kurdish culture and literature, and their detention and the length of their stay in detention in such a manner is a cause for much concern”. Activists in Kermanshah and Ilam, at the end of their statement, wrote: “We, the undersigned, while condemning the detention of Mr. Hamidi and Mr. Jalilian, announce our support of their cultural and literary efforts to sustain and strengthen Kurdish culture and literature. Especially Mr. Jalilian, whose distinguished collection has served the cause of the Kurdish language. We demand the immediate release of both Mr. Jalilian and Mr. Hamidi”.