We write in response to the public statement of the Iranian judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili on 13 May regarding the case of Aras Amiri, an arts curator, student and employee at the British Council managing arts programmes to present Iranian contemporary arts and literature in the UK (Report, 14 May).
As artists, arts organisation leaders and academics across the UK and internationally who know Aras through her studies and curatorial work, we are dismayed by this statement and its accompanying 10-year prison sentence.
We recognise that this is a time of intense international pressure on Iran which must be resolved peacefully. However, we reject the claims of this verdict cast upon a generous, caring person who has only worked to enable a better, positive understanding of Iranian literary and artistic heritage. In her role with the British Council, Aras Amiri facilitated Iranian arts exhibitions, theatre performances, music concerts, film seasons and literary publications which respectfully and sensitively made accessible to UK audiences the extraordinary history and achievements of Iranian arts and culture within an international perspective.
We request that the Iranian judiciary revises its decision. We ask that a more reasoned assessment of these charges and whatever is motivating them is dealt with through formal diplomatic channels without targeting Iranian citizens dedicated to the art of their country.
Eeshita Azad Managing director, Bengal Creative Hub, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Nick Barley Director, Edinburgh international book festival
Shehzad Chowdhury Artist and curator, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Peter Florence Director, Hay festival of literature and arts
Prof Peter Hallward Professor of modern European philosophy, Kingston University London
John Hollingworth Director, Brunei Gallery, Soas University of London
Margaret Gold Senior lecturer, London Metropolitan University
Sumbul Khan Curator, Independent Culture for Development, Pakistan
Daisy Leitch Co-director, 5 x 15 Stories, London
Fergus Linehan Director, Edinburgh international festival
Prof Catherine Mallabou Professor of modern European philosophy, Kingston University London
Bill McAlister Former director, ICA and Battersea Arts Centre, London
Prof Peter Osborne Professor of modern European philosophy, Kingston University London
Ra Page Director, Comma Press, Manchester
Abdullah Qureshi Visual artist, Helsinki, Finland
Prof Stella Sandford Professor of modern European philosophy, Kingston University London
Damien Sanville Director, Close-Up Film Centre, London
Madeline Heneghan and Mike Morris Co-Directors, Writing on the Wall festival, Liverpool
Ted Hodgkinson Head of literature and spoken word, Southbank Centre
Donald Shaw Artistic director, Celtic Connections, Glasgow
Pooja Varma Head of programming, Polish Institute, New Delhi, India
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