Friday, November 30, 2012

Split This Rock appalled by outrageous life sentence for Qatari ‘Jasmine poet’


Qatari poet Mohammed al-Ajami - also known as Mohammed Ibn al-Dheeb, was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday, in what Amnesty International calls "an outrageous betrayal of free speech."  He has been detained since his November 2011 arrest on charges of "insulting" the Emir and inciting overthrow of the government following publication of "Jasmine Poem," which criticized repressive governments in the Gulf region. 

“All the information available points to Mohammed al-Ajami being a prisoner of conscience who has been placed behind bars solely for his words. Accordingly, he should be released immediately and his conviction quashed,” said Philip Luther, AI's Middle East and North Africa director.

2 comments:

Red Slider said...

I fully support the immediate release of the poet Mohammed al-Ajami and the complete reversal of his conviction. If you have poems about the repressive conditions in Qatar and its Emir, please write and circulate them. If you have poems written by Mohammed al-Ajami that you can post, please do so -- make his name known to all. Protest this action in anyway you can.

If you would be interested in forming a world organization that can respond rapidly, tactically and strategically to such events wherever they might occur, please go to http://poems4change.org/first-responders/intro.html - consider what it is proposing and get involved if you have interest. - thank you, Red Slider

Yael said...

I've tried to look for a English translation of his poem but can't seem to find it. Have others read it?