Human Rights Experts: Iran Must Stop Harassing Journalists
United Nations human rights experts and researchers have called on the Islamic Republic to halt the arrest, intimidation, and prosecution of journalists and civil activists, and to release imprisoned journalists ahead of parliamentary elections.
A group of UN human rights researchers and experts issued a statement on Wednesday (November 11) calling for an end to arrests, intimidation, harassment, and prosecution of journalists in Iran, and urging the country’s judicial authorities to release imprisoned journalists and civil activists ahead of the parliamentary elections in Iran.
According to Reuters news agency, the UN experts’ statement also called on Iran to release Jason Rezaian, Washington Post correspondent in Tehran, who was “arbitrarily and unlawfully detained for peacefully advocating for fundamental rights.”
The 39-year-old Jason Rezaian, who holds dual Iranian-American citizenship, has been in detention since last summer. He was tried in a closed-door court presided over by Judge Salavati on charges of “espionage and actions against Iran’s national security” and was convicted a month ago, but his sentence has not yet been issued. It is reported that Iranian authorities intend to use him for ransom and negotiations regarding prisoner exchanges with Iranians detained in America.
The recent wave of journalist arrests in Iran began last week by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Information Protection Unit. The arrest of these journalists, who have been labeled “enemy infiltrators” by media close to the IRGC, has provoked a reaction from Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s president. He called on responsible authorities to stop file-building against journalists “to exert pressure and settle political scores with the government.”
Ahmad Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, in response to the arrests and summonses of journalists in Iran for interrogation, has called these measures “another wave of suppression of freedom of expression and freedom of media.”
Read more: Government and IRGC Dispute Over “Infiltrator” Arrests
Isa Saharkhiz, journalist and political activist; Ehsan Mazandarani, editor-in-chief of Farhekhtegun newspaper; Afrin Chit-Saz, columnist for the government newspaper Iran; Hassan Sheikh-Agaei, editor of Ravaneh website; and Saman Safarzaei, secretary of Andishe Pouya publication, are among the journalists who have been arrested in the recent crackdown. It is reported that more than 20 journalists have been summoned for interrogation by the IRGC’s information unit.
Reporters Without Borders, in March of this year, identified Iran as one of the countries with the highest number of imprisoned journalists, with 46 journalists in prison. Iran is known as the “hell for journalists” in the world.
