Award-winning journalist, filmmaker, author and activist, Behrouz Boochani is set to speak in person in Perth on 15th November as part of the Annual PEN Lecture on the International Day of the Imprisoned Writer.
The event will see the Kurdish-Iranian human rights advocate discuss his most recent book Freedom, Only Freedom in a thought-provoking conversation with collaborators Omid Tofighian (award winning translator) and Perth based refugee advocate and writer, Anne Surma.
Boochani spent six years in offshore immigration detention, where he was witness to the tragic conditions faced by asylum seekers, conditions that grossly violated international refugee law.
During his detention, he famously used text messages to document the atrocities around him, which eventually became the award-winning book No Friend but the Mountains.
Boochani’s second book combines his prison writings with essays contributed by experts in the fields of refugee rights, politics, literature, and history and sheds light on Australian refugee policies and the human stories behind them. It includes a chapter written by Boochani on the experience of gay, transgender, and bisexual men on Manus Island.
Behrouz Boochani will speak at the WA State Library Theatre on 15 November 2023. Tickets for this event are available now.
Located on Whadjuk land, PEN Perth is one chapter of PEN International, a non-profit organisation working at the intersection of writing and politics. PEN International was founded in London in 1921 and now has 150 centres around the world.
PEN Perth aims to raise the consciousness of the public and encourage a world where writers are free to express themselves, responsibly and respectfully. It brings writers together from across cultures to share experiences, explore ideas and conduct public conversations about how literature transforms, influences and fosters cross-cultural exchange.
OIP Staff
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