Today, Friday, October 30, 2026, the sixth anniversary of the passing of Jalal Malekshah, the prominent Kurdish poet known by the moniker "Dare Pireh" [The Old and Wise Tree], was held with the presence of a group of literary figures, civil activists and institutions, justice-seeking families, loyalists, and the people of Sanandaj at his gravesite in the village of "Malakshan," Sanandaj. This ceremony featured the laying of floral wreaths, paying respects to the memory of Jalal Malekshah, and poetry readings.

The ceremony commenced with the performance of the anthem "Ey Reqîb" and a few minutes of silence in memory of Jalal Malekshah and the martyrs of Kurdistan. Afterward, members of the Malekshah family welcomed the attendees, and the memory and name of this esteemed poet were honored. Subsequently, a group of literary figures, including "Simin Chaichi," recited poetry addressing his literary and intellectual worldview and the costs he bore for adhering to that worldview. Representatives from cultural associations and civil activists also delivered speeches.

The performance of anthems and the presence of participants holding placards bearing the image and name of Jalal Malekshah were among the other segments of this ceremony.

Jalal Malekshah:

Jalal Malekshah was a Kurdish poet, writer, journalist, and leftist activist who wrote in both Persian and Kurdish. He was born in the village of "Malakshan-e Olya" in Sanandaj and turned to poetry as well as cultural and political activities from his youth.

Beginning in the 1970s, due to his political activities, justice-seeking beliefs, and opposition to repression, Malekshah was repeatedly summoned, detained, and imprisoned—first by the Pahlavi regime and subsequently by the Islamic Republic—because of his critical poetry concerning poverty, discrimination, and the resistance of the Kurdish people. In 1983, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. In 2014, following the composition of a poem supporting the resistance of Kobani against ISIS, he was once again summoned and threatened by security institutions to prevent him from publishing any poetry on the subject.

Despite pressures, Malekshah continued his cultural activities, serving for years as a poet, writer, and editor-in-chief at Salahaddin Ayyubi Publications, Serveh magazine, and the Kurdish periodical Pershang. He was also one of the founders dedicated to nurturing a new generation of Kurdish poets at the "Ahmad Khani" cultural institute.

Jalal Malekshah was an early member of the Iranian Writers' Association, having joined this cultural institution prior to the official publication of his works. In the late 1970s, he maintained connections with many prominent figures of contemporary Iranian literature, including Ahmad Shamloo, Mohammad Mokhtari, and Simin Behbahani, and stood out as a staunch defender of freedom of expression and the independence of writers from political power.

At association meetings, Malekshah repeatedly warned against state censorship and the suppression of independent literature in Iran, maintaining that literature must be "the voice of the voiceless." During those years, he came under surveillance by security institutions, and following the 1979 revolution, due to his persistent critical stances, he was barred from operating within the official cultural framework of the Islamic Republic.

In subsequent decades, despite security pressures and frequent detentions, he continued to maintain unofficial cultural and intellectual solidarity with independent members of the Writers' Association both inside and abroad. In an interview, he stated:

"I believe in committed literature, not obedient literature. If a writer remains silent in the face of tyranny, they have distanced themselves from the people."

His membership and activities in the Writers' Association stood as one of the most significant manifestations of his adherence to freedom of thought, expression, and literary creativity—principles to which he remained faithful until the end of his life, even though he repeatedly paid the price through summonses, detention, and bans on cultural activity.

Jalal Malekshah passed away on November 1, 2020, due to heart failure in Sanandaj. However, even after his death, pressure on his family and loved ones persisted. Security institutions prevented the holding of public funeral and memorial ceremonies for him, deploying law enforcement personnel to the cemetery to block gatherings of poets, writers, and citizens. Several memorial programs planned for him in Sanandaj and Marivan were also canceled by security orders.

His poetry reflects the suffering, resistance, and social reality of the people of Kurdistan through a simple yet powerful language that is simultaneously political, human, and poetic. Among his notable works are the poetry collections Zڕه‌ زنجیری وشه‌ دیله‌کان (The Sound of the Chains of Imprisoned Words), Kare-Sat (The Catastrophe), and Songs of the Season of Anxiety.

His poems have been translated into Persian, Arabic, English, Libyan Arabic, French, Russian, Swedish, and other languages.

In the words of Sherko Bekas, "Malekshah's poetry expanded the Kurdish language and literature; it springs from the heart and settles in the heart."