Reporters Without Borders: Crackdown on Iranian Journalists Has Intensified
Reporters Without Borders has reported new cases of arrests and convictions against Iranian journalists. An official from the organization stated that “the Human Rights Council should take more serious steps to protect and defend journalists.”
The organization “Reporters Without Borders” has expressed concern over the continued suppression and arrest of journalists in Iran. In a recent statement, referencing the dire human rights situation and including freedom of information in Iran as reflected in a recent report by Javaid Rehman, the UN Special Rapporteur, the organization noted that shortly after the release of this report, new cases of suppression and arrest of journalists have occurred.
Reporters Without Borders refers to the issuance of conviction sentences, arrests, and bail orders for five journalists in this regard.
Mohammad Massoud is one of these journalists who faced a conviction sentence of four years and nine months in prison on September 3rd. Massoud wrote in a tweet that the court, in justifying this sentence, leveled accusations against him such as “blackening,” “crisis-mongering,” “inciting an empty-headed audience,” and “undermining the foundations.”
Massoud was arrested on November 8, 2019, on the first day of internet shutdown in the country and after posting a tweet about it, and was released on December 7th after posting bail.
Kowsar Karimi, according to Reporters Without Borders statement, is another journalist who has recently been subject to an arrest warrant. Karimi is a journalist with the official Mehr News Agency (affiliated with the Islamic Propaganda Organization) who was arrested on August 28th while attempting to cover protests by residents of Abulfaraz village south of Ahvaz.
The residents’ protest was directed at the actions of the Mostazafan Foundation to demolish their homes. An official from the Islamic Propaganda Organization mentioned Kowsar Karimi’s release on the same day on health grounds with a bail guarantee, but the Mehr News Agency “has been threatened that if it continues the pursuit, they will issue a summons order for the news agency’s CEO.”
“Protest Against the Regime; Further Crackdown on Journalists”
Babak Tahmasbi is another journalist who, according to Reporters Without Borders statement, has recently been informed of the confirmation of a two-year prison sentence and 74 lashes by Branch 17 of Ahvaz Court. Tahmasbi was prosecuted on charges of “spreading falsehoods” and “insult and slander” following complaints by officials of the National Drilling Company regarding his reports on the poor economic situation of workers at the company.
Reporters Without Borders statement then refers to the case of a journalist from Kerman named Amirreza Teymoori who, as a journalist for the Tabnak website, was summoned to the Cyber Police (FATA) following a complaint by the city representative and head of the economic commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly and after interrogation was charged with “spreading falsehoods intended to disturb public opinion.” This journalist was released on bail pending trial.
The final case in the Reporters Without Borders statement is that of a journalist from Gonbad-Kavus named Amanmohammad Khajmoli who was convicted by the appeals court on charges of “spreading falsehoods” and “disturbing public opinion” to a fine of one million six hundred thousand tomans. The prosecution of this journalist was due to the publication of articles about the economic crisis situation and following complaints by security institutions. Previously, in February 2020, he was arrested and released after posting bail.
Reza Moaini, the head of the Iran and Afghanistan office of Reporters Without Borders, regarding recent arrests and convictions of journalists, stating that “protest against the regime has led to further crackdown on journalists,” raised the expectation that following the shocking report of the UN Special Rapporteur “the Human Rights Council should take more serious steps to protect and defend journalists.”
The poor state of press freedom and the closure of conditions for journalists to work has been a continuous subject of numerous reports by human rights groups and defenders of freedom of expression, including Reporters Without Borders. In the latest global press freedom index of this organization, Iran is among the countries at the end of the table among 180 countries in the world and stands at rank 173.
Source: DW
