Housam Al-Mosilli in Linköping

Housam Al-Mosilli is a respected writer, journalist, translator and researcher from Syria. He lived in Damascus. Following three arrests and torture by the Syrian security forces for covering anti-government demonstrations, he fled the country in 2012.

He went to Lebanon, but threats from Hezbollah, he fled to Egypt. After what he describes as a military coup in Egypt, in August 2013, he finally fled to Turkey, where he lived in Istanbul for two and a half years.

In his writings, Housam deals with political and human rights issues regarding the current situation in the Middle-East region, particularly the rise of extremism in northern Syria. He works as a translator and proof reader for Noon publishing House and Al Mutawassit Publishing House. He is a poet, continues to write a novel in Arabic, and a book on film and politics. As a journalist he is still writing political articles for magazines.

After arrival in Sweden, Housam is busy making interviews, attending a class for orientation in the Swedish society and soon he will be performing on cultural arenas in Linköping.

Linköping has taken the responsibility to protect freedom of speech and stand up for human rights. Upon signing the contract with ICORN in 2015, the Mayor of Linköping, Helena Balthammar, said:

“We should always protect the right of expression and democracy and will do so for a guest writer who needs protection from politically motivated threats and persecution.” 

Read one of Housam's poems from Dissidentbloggen Diary of the silent