Faraj Bayrakdar

Faraj Bayrakdar of Syria is a journalist and award-winning poet. In 1987 he was arrested on suspicion of belonging to the Party for Communist Action. He was held incommunicado for nearly seven years and was tortured. In 1993 the supreme court sentenced him to fifteen years prison.

Fourteen months shy of completing the fifteen year sentence, Faraj Baryakdar was granted Amnesty. You can read the statement he made for the press upon his release (courtesy of English PEN) here. He is a former guest writer of Stockholm City of Refuge.