Guhdar Zebari's Letter From Prison
Guhdar Zebari is an independent journalist from Iraqi Kurdistan. He was arrested from his home on the 22 October 2019 and taken to an unknown location. He eventually appeared in court on 15-16 February 2021 and was sentenced to 6 years in prison on false charges of threatening national security. He is one of the 81 Badinan Prisoners arrested in a crackdown on Freedom of Expression by the KRG. In October 2021 he managed to smuggle out this letter written on a used cigarette packet and it was released to the media.
After one year of silence,
A courageous greeting from an isolated deep prison to an oppressed nation under the rule of a tyrannical and apathetic authority,
In this place, the most beautiful thing, a pen, is banned. That is why I need to write this letter using an aglet. (1)
I am not sure whether you will receive this or not. If you do, this letter might then put me in danger. But a lover does not care about what they face on the path to meet the beloved. We are the leftovers of the pen’s blood. Therefore, we should finish the unfinished sentences and continue the severed discourses. (2)
Maybe many of you wonder why we are here. We are here because we have pointed at the traces of corruption and focused on the hills of this country (3), which for them is like looking at Awrah (4), but which we consider our right. We have spoken up about some people who are humans and so can be criticized, but they (5) consider themselves to be sainted and holy, for them they are among the gods. That is why we must speak until everything is back to its right place and this country passes through this state that is now considered to be normal. They are angry at us. That is why they sentenced us to 6 years in prison. It is not clear whether this punishment will satisfy them or whether they will be thirsty for further punishments.
The table was turned on them badly, for arresting us turned out to be our biggest success. They spend millions of dollars monthly on media outlets and social media platforms, and thousands under the names of writers, journalists and other labels get paid by them, but they did not have the skill to respond to us by articles, pen, discussions and debates. They know we stand by the truth and they will lose against us. That is why they try to distort the truth by lies and false accusations. But the truth never gets twisted and it will continue on its true path.
They lost, because they attempted to frighten Badinan and make it obey them, but Badinan opened the knot between itself and Soran, and broke the ice between Slemani and Duhok (6). Now Badinan has become the symbol of freedom and sacrifice, it has rejected their [the authorities] discourse and taken steps towards finding itself. Badinan said, I am making my own decisions from now on.
Another attempt in which they failed in, was trying to disguise and break the brave pens (7) of Badinan. But because of this attempt, not only in Badinan, but around the world, our comrades are currently known as the symbol of a nation’s rights and freedom.
Finally, we bow and show our respect to any person around the world, from any ethnicity or position, who has supported us. Thank you so much!
Guhdar Zebbari
From prison
(1) The letter was written on used cigarette packets with the metal tip on the drawstring of his pants (aglet).
(2) Refers to the words of assassinated Kurdish journalist, Sardaşt Osman, who wrote, “When I am killed let my friend make a full stop and start a new sentence.”
(3) Hills refers to the Kurdish political parties, whose headquarters are often built on hills.
(4) Body parts that must be covered as per the Shariah (genitals).
(5) ‘They’ and ‘Them’ refers to the leaders of the political party in power, the KDP, and the political parties that support them, such as the PUK.
(6) Iraqi Kurdistan is divided linguistically into two areas Badinan (Duhok) and Soran (Erbil, Slemani, Halabja). Politically there has been separation between the civil society aims in these areas.
(7) This refers to the journalists and civil activists who have been arrested and assassinated.