Statement on the Harassment and Smear Campaign Against Iranian Writer Mehdi Mousavi
Sic Publishing is deeply concerned by the harassment and smear campaign directed at one of our writers, Mehdi Mousavi, an exiled Iranian writer, poet, and public critic of the Iranian regime.
Mehdi has already paid a severe price for his writing. In Iran, he was imprisoned, held in solitary confinement, and sentenced to nine years in prison and 99 lashes. His work documents the lives of ordinary Iranians living under repression, and speaks openly about human rights abuses, gender inequality, state violence, executions, and the tactics used to silence dissent.
Since the launch of his latest poetry collection, The Last Kiss, and his recent public appearances, Mehdi has faced a series of timed reputational attacks. We believe these attacks form part of a coordinated and resourced campaign intended to discredit him, isolate him, and make it harder for him to speak publicly.
There is an ongoing police case in Norway related to this campaign. Sic Publishing is working with the relevant authorities and agencies to share information, document evidence, and support the safety of our writers, public events, colleagues, and audiences.
We are preserving relevant material, including social media posts, messages, coordinated online activity, and phone calls made to people and institutions connected to Mehdi and Sic Publishing.
We also recognise that campaigns of this kind can draw in people who may not fully understand what they are taking part in. Some people may have been misled. Some may have been pressured. Some may have repeated claims without knowing where they came from or what consequences they could have.
If you have taken part in this campaign and now believe you were misled, pressured, or used, we encourage you to come forward. If you have information about where the claims originated, who encouraged their spread, or how the campaign was organised, that information may be important.
You can contact the police in Norway directly or contact the response team at:
q2m6@pm.me (This is a secure Proton Mail email address.)
Our aim is not to shame people who were manipulated or pressured into taking part. Our aim is to understand how this campaign developed, protect those affected, and ensure that relevant information reaches the proper authorities.
Have you experienced digital repression yourself?
This case reflects a wider problem. Writers, journalists, artists, activists, publishers, researchers, and public voices are increasingly targeted through harassment, smear campaigns, surveillance, hacking, social media manipulation, threats, and pressure on family members or colleagues.
We want to hear from people who have experienced this, either in the country where they live or while in exile.
We will not publish anything without your express permission. You can share your experience anonymously. Our priority is to listen, document responsibly, and help people feel safe when speaking about what has happened to them.
For experiences of digital repression, you can contact the project at:
Or visit sicpublish.no/aes451 for more information
