HRCP mourns literary icon Fehmida Riaz

Press release

HRCP mourns literary icon Fehmida Riaz

Lahore, 22 November 2018. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) mourns the loss of distinguished poet, thinker and activist Fehmida Riaz, who passed away in Lahore yesterday. In a statement issued today, HRCP hailed Ms Riaz as ‘a human rights defender whose writing constantly pushed the boundaries of traditional literature. Her commitment to women’s rights was integral to her poetry. She gave women in Pakistan a voice and a literary space that few others have since matched.

‘Apart from her fierce feminism, Ms Riaz will be remembered as someone who stood up to General Zia-ul-Haq’s oppressive regime and shouldered human rights causes from the struggle for democracy and freedom of expression to the plight of forgotten communities. Her refusal to be cowed in the face of harassment, allegations of obscenity and even charges of sedition remain a lesson in moral courage for us all.’

 

Dr Mehdi Hasan

Chairperson

 

Category: English