The Iranian cartoonist and prisoner of conscience Hadi Heidari announced on Tuesday that he has been freed from prison in Iran. The artist announced his release with a drawing of an opened birdcage on social media.
Heidari was imprisoned in November after releasing a drawing mourning that month’s terror attacks in Paris, officially to serve the end of a sentence from 2014. The timing of the arrest, coming days after the Paris cartoon, led to outcry. However, a close friend said on condition of anonymity that the artist had been expecting his arrest for some time.
The artist’s lawyer stated that he has been called to complete 11 remaining months of a sentence over “The Blindfolded Men,” a 2012 cartoon which saw Heidari charged with “collaborating with the west.”
It is still unclear as to whether or not the charges against Heidari stand, as all that is known now comes from the artist’s personal statement, posted in Farsi:
Hello to freedom! By the grace of God, I was released from Evin Prison tonight after serving time. Thank you all for the kindness. I am extremely grateful to all my friends who supported me and my family during this time. Thank you. I hope I am worthy of your kindness.
Hadi Heidari’s cartoon, Paris Weeping.
Heidari works for an alternative newspaper, and his arrest coincided with a larger crackdown on journalists. However, with the release of fellow cartoonist Atena Farghadani recently announced, there may be a growing ray of hope for the other imprisoned artists in Iran.
The Voice Project will provide more details as they arise, and would like to thank all who participated in our Free Hadi Heidari campaign for a fantastic result!