PEN Català celebrates the right to language as a cultural right
On 28 September in Barcelona, Uyghur linguist, writer, and human rights activist Abduweli Ayup and Iranian musician Arya Aramnejad took part in PEN Català’s event focusing on the right to language as a cultural right. The initiative, part of the intergovernmental cultural conference UNESCO Mondiacult 2025, featured two discussion panels, poetry readings in minoritised languages, and a musical performance.
The first panel explored linguistic rights as human rights and included Abduweli Ayup and Pit-roig Vinyals, Member of the PEN Català Committee on Linguistic Rights. Drawing on their own professional experience and backgrounds, they discussed violations of linguistic and cultural rights, the importance of safeguarding minoritised languages, and the ways in which the international community can provide support. The panel was moderated by Salima Jirari.
The second panel addressed the role of cities in defending human rights, with panellists Juanjo Arranz (Director of Human Rights, Global Justice, and International Cooperation), Helge Lunde (Executive Director of ICORN), Jaume Muñoz (Director of Cultural Heritage, ICUB), and Gemma Rodríguez, (Director of PEN Català). The panel was moderated by Salima Jirari.
The programme continued with poetry readings in minoritised languages, featuring María Pilar Benítez (Aragonese), Míriam Ferradans (Galician), Inaciu Galán (Asturian), Laura López Granell (Catalan), Xavi Riu (Aranese), and Urtzi Urrutikoetxea (Basque). The session was moderated by Catalan writer Sònia Moya.
The evening concluded with a musical performance by Arya Aramnejad, accompanied by multidisciplinary Catalan artist Carles Mestre.
Barcelona ICORN City of Refuge, thorugh PEN Català, will host the ICORN General Assembly in April 2026.
