AN international poetry event will be held this evening to campaign for the release of Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayadh, who was sentenced to death for apostasy in Saudi Arabia last November.
The evening at the Clutha Bar will be one of the first literary events at the bar since the helicopter crash in 2013, and has been organised by the Scottish PEN Writers at Risk Committee, who hope to raise awareness for the imprisoned artist and help campaign for his release.
Among the performers, AC Clarke and Finola Scott will read from Fayadh’s poetry, while Colin Cairns, PJ McCafferty, and Scotia Bar poet laureate Ray Evans have all written pieces especially for the night.
Organiser and Scottish PEN writer Jean Rafferty stressed the importance of the event to “force Saudi Arabia to recognise that the eyes of the world are watching its draconian policies.”
American poet Katie Ailes will also be performing, and told The National she found Fayadh’s case “horrific”, but added that: “Poetry is the perfect form to fight for freedom of expression – a little spark starts the fire.”
Ailes, who wrote her Master’s thesis on Scottish identity in poetry written at the time of the Indyref, will be performing poetry on the themes of political expression and equal rights.
The event, which starts at 7pm, ties in with Berlin Literature Festival’s call for a Worldwide Reading in support of the Palestinian.
At Edinburgh’s Scottish Poetry Library, Fayadh’s poems will be read by Christine de Luca, Rachel McCrum and Jenny Lindsay from 5.30pm, while Aberdeen is also hosting an event at the Blue Lamp in the city’s Gallowgate.
Last November, the General Court in Abha in southwest Saudi Arabia found Ashraf guilty of renouncing Islam, and sentenced him to death by beheading.
Ashraf is said to have spread atheist thought with his poetry, and was also charged for violating the country’s anti-cybercrime laws for allegedly taking photos of women on his phone.
He was denied access to a lawyer throughout the process, an act which Amnesty International have deemed “a clear violation of international human rights law, as well as Saudi Arabia’s national laws.”
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