Stavanger

Photo:
Hayat Al-Sharif documenting the 2025 ICORN Network Meeting in Stavanger. Credit: Amira Al-Sharif.

Stavanger has been a City of Refuge since 1996.

The ICORN Programme in Stavanger is hosted and facilitated by the Sølvberget Library and Cultural Centre.

Since 1996, Stavanger has welcomed 14 writers, artists, and journalists who have faced persecution due to their work. Among them are Azerbaijani poet and musician Araz Elses, Yemeni poet and activist Mansur Rajih, Iranian author, playwright and film director Mansour Koushan, Chechen writer and filmmaker Islam Elsanov, Zimbabwean novelist and poet Chenjerai Hove, Iraqi poet Otba Fathalla, Iraqi poet and journalist Selma M. Yonus, Iranian author, artist, and filmmaker Elahe Rahronia, Syrian translator, writer, and activist Mohammad Habeeb, Iranian cartoonist and illustrator Ali Dorani, Iraqi investigative journalist Safaa Khalaf, Yemeni photojournalist and photographer Hayat Al-Sharif, and Palestinian rapper, graphic designer, and music and video producer Mohammed El-Susi.