Death Fatwa Targets Translators

Death Fatwa Targets Translators

Barmak Behdad, is a Kurdish Iranian journalist, who has worked for various newspapers and magazines. He is the translator of a single chapter of Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses, and has become the subject of death threats by those who seek to extend the Fatwa issued by the deceased and former Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI), Khomeini. Khomeini issued the 'death Fatwa' in February, 1989, against all who were involved in the publication of the book.

Rushdie has not been physically harmed; however others connected with his book have suffered violent attacks. The Japanese language translator of the book, Hitoshi Igarashi, was stabbed to death on 11 July 1991; Ettore Capriolo, the Italian language translator, was seriously injured in a stabbing during the same month; William Nygaard, the publisher in Norway, barely survived an attempted assassination in Oslo in October 1993, and Aziz Nesin, the Turkish language translator, was the intended target in the events that resulted in the Sivas massacre on 2 July 1993 in Turkey, which rendered thirty-seven people killed. Behdad has been repeatedly threatened by Iranian and Kurdish fundamentalists and currently lives in hiding.

In a desperate appeal, Behdad sent an email pleading "as an Iranian- Kurdish Journalist...and translator of [the] Satanic Verses, I find myself in serious peril to life [sic]. Please help me". By simply translating one chapter of his book Behdad has fallen within the crosshairs of militant extremists who wave the flag of religious piety.

On February 15, 2010, Kurdish autonomy authorities banned the local magazine Khalk, which was printed in the city of Suleymanieh, after the release of the translated chapter. As a result, the editor in chief of the magazine, including the translator were attacked and threatened, purported to be the agents and some local supporters of IRI government. A number of newspapers and websites in the IRI condemned Khalk magazine and demanded the prosecution of "those responsible".

What measures have the United Nations taken in protecting the lives of Iranian dissidents who flee the IRI in an attempt to escape execution for exercising their inherent right to freedom of expression? After the asylum application of Mohammad Reza Ali Zamani was rejected by the office of the UN in Erbil, he was forced to return to Iran and was arrested during the same month by the authorities. He was later executed on charges of being a member of Kingdom Assembly of Iran (Anjoman-e Padeshahi-e Iran), a banned monarchist group. Zamani's persecution and execution on such grounds constitutes a violation of international law, particularly Articles 19 and 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966.

Behdad had informed the office of the UN about the death-threats he had received and appealed for protection; yet the UN has remained silent. "As I said, the UN-offices and the European Nations are not taking us seriously and only act in their own economical interest". There may be some credence in Behdad's above assertion, given that the UN have permitted the IRI to be a candidate for membership of the Human Rights Council, even though the IRI has the world's second worst human rights record. On 12 May, 2010 the world will find out whether the 'fox' may 'guard the hen-house'.

Behdad desperately needs to escape Kurdistan and the murderous hands of the IRI before he becomes another statistic that is facilitated by the international community's bystander apathy - their silence will render them complicit in his death, should the reprehensible 'death fatwa' be honoured against him.

Neda For A Free Iran