HRF celebrates the release of Iranian cartoonist Atena Farghadani

NEW YORK (Dec. 20, 2024) — On December 10, Iranian cartoonist Atena Farghadani was released from Evin Prison. Her most recent sentence was unexpectedly reduced from six years to eight months. Her imprisonment followed an attempt to display two pieces of artwork on Pasteur Avenue in Tehran, Iran. One of the pieces she attempted to display was her artwork titled “Waiting Fridays.”

Farghadani has been a persistent target of the Iranian regime, facing repeated arrests, inhumane treatment, and censorship due to her outspoken political art and activism against the regime’s oppressive policies. During her most recent detention, she endured torture and psychological abuse at the hands of prison guards, which left visible scars on her face. During her detention, her family wasn’t informed about her whereabouts. As a result, HRF has filed a submission with United Nations Special Procedures to ensure that Farghadani remains free from harassment and persecution. 

“Today, we celebrate the release of Atena Farghadani, a beacon of courage and resilience. Her unwavering spirit in the face of torture and imprisonment serves as a powerful reminder of the immense importance — and at times, the profound cost — of defending the fundamental right to free expression,” HRF Chief Advocacy Officer Roberto Gonzalez said. “Yet, as we celebrate, we must remain vigilant against the Iranian regime’s persistent persecution of artists, activists, and dissidents. We stand firmly with Atena and all those who risk everything to speak truth to power. Together, we will continue the fight for justice and freedom.”

In June 2023, Farghadani published a colored pencil drawing titled “Waiting Fridays” on her Instagram account. One day later, she was summoned to Evin prison and charged with “disturbing public order.” She was later transferred to Gharchak prison, where she was subject to torture and underwent a nine-day hunger strike. This led to her hospitalization in the ICU. Farghadani was released on bail a few days later, following approximately three weeks in detention. 

The Iranian regime has since barred Farghadani from exhibiting her art inside the country. In 2018, when she attempted to display her works on a public street, government agents cracked down on the audience. They confiscated audience members’ phones, prohibited filming and photography, and forcefully removed the artworks. Despite these restrictions, her exhibition titled “We Are Products of the Same Factory,” which included these banned pieces, was featured at the 2024 Oslo Freedom Forum as part of HRF’s Art in Protest program. Earlier, in 2016, HRF honored Farghadani the Václav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent.

HRF celebrates the release of Atena Farghadani, and condemns the Iranian regime’s crackdown on artwork and creative dissent. 

The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies.

The Art in Protest program is HRF’s answer to the repression of creativity that authoritarian regimes impose. By promoting artists who embody the spirit of creativity and dissent, Art in Protest opens a dialogue about human rights and free expression and aims to bring to a diverse audience the work of artists who are making an impact in the global struggle against authoritarianism. 

The Václav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent is an award for artistic innovation. It is named after the late Czech president, poet, playwright, dissident, statesman, and former HRF chairman Václav Havel. HRF launched the Havel Prize in 2012 with the support of Dagmar Havlová, Havel’s widow.

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