Bangladeshi journalist Imran selected for PEN Canada’s ‘Voices of Freedom’

Bangladeshi journalist and writer Abdullah Al Imran has been selected for the international reading series “Voices of Freedom”, organised by literary organisation PEN Canada.

The event is scheduled for Nov 12 evening at the Toronto Reference Library, where Imran will present his own writings.

Imran previously worked with several media outlets in Bangladesh before joining the Investigative Journalism Bureau at the University of Toronto. He later joined The Fifth Estate, the investigative programme of Canada’s national broadcaster CBC.

According to PEN Canada, Imran will begin his presentation in Bangla, and later read an excerpt from his selected essay “Living by Writing the Truth”.

Speaking to bdnews24.com, Imran said: “From growing up by the riverside of Khulna’s working areas to studying and working in Dhaka, my life has been filled with experiences. 

“I’ve met many people from marginalised communities whose lives are full of stories. I write about them -- stories of people, stories of humanity. This selection gives me the opportunity to take those stories further, that’s my greatest achievement.”

Alongside Imran, this year’s lineup includes Iranian filmmaker and writer Atefeh Khademolreza, Turkish novelist and editor Onder Deligoz, and Ecuadorian journalist and media entrepreneur Andersson Boscán. The event will be hosted by Mexican journalist Luis Horacio Najera.

Now in its third year, Voices of Freedom is part of PEN Canada’s “Writers in Exile” programme, which features authors who have faced censorship, exile, or persecution.

The organisers said this year’s event will be particularly diverse, with participants from Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America.

Event details and seat reservations are available on the PEN Canada website.