Summons and arrest of more than 20 Iranian journalists

Dozens of Iranian journalists have been summoned, questioned or pressured in the wake of the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane and criticism of the way the incident was reported, Reporters Without Borders has warned.

On Thursday, February 6, 2020, Reporters Without Borders reported in a report that the country's security agencies are intensifying pressure on journalists in Iran.

According to the report, dozens of journalists have been questioned, summoned, or pressured following the downing of the Ukrainian passenger plane and criticism of the reporting related to the incident.

Iranian journalists had to cover up for three days the lies of the Islamic Republic's officials about the cause of the Ukrainian passenger plane crash. After Iranian officials admitted that the plane was shot down by a missile from the Revolutionary Guard Corps, eighty Iranian journalists issued a statement responding to the lies of the state media.

These journalists wrote: "We are also tired of hearing so many lies from the official media and we regret that all the newspapers, in coordination with the "National Media" (the state television of the Islamic Republic) and without investigating and examining the aspects of the incident, proceeded to repeat a big lie, and revealing the truth brought them nothing but shame and disgrace."

Following the publication of the statement, a large number of journalists who signed it were summoned and interrogated. According to information gathered by Reporters Without Borders, since January 8, 2019, the IRGC Intelligence Organization and the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic of Iran have summoned and interrogated at least 21 journalists in various cities in Iran.

Reporters Without Borders writes: “None of these journalists have been arrested, but they could be arrested at any moment. Some of these journalists have received warnings from their editorial offices for “taking a position on social media.” Among them, a number have been forced to close their accounts on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook or write only about “the weather.”

According to the report, in the last two weeks, the homes and workplaces of some journalists have been searched by the IRGC intelligence, and their computers, mobile phones, books and manuscripts have been confiscated. Among them are Maziar Khosravi, a former journalist for Shargh newspaper, Yasman Khalegian, an independent journalist, Moloud Hajizadeh, a journalist for the publication Taslim, and Yaghma Fashkhami, a former journalist for the information website Dideban. These two have a history of recent arrests in recent years. IRGC intelligence officers have told them to await summons.

One of the journalists summoned in Tehran, who did not want to be named, told Reporters Without Borders: “The newspaper editor told me about my summons. I said that this method of summons was illegal and I would not go. That night, someone called my phone and started swearing without saying hello. The next day, I was forced to go to a location designated by the Ministry of Intelligence. There, they accused me of all sorts of trumped-up crimes. I was forced to sign a commitment and close all my social media accounts. They told me to wait for the summons to go to court.”

Another journalist from the south of the country said: "I was summoned by the IRGC intelligence and all they said was about my posts on Instagram, in which I expressed my shame at the government's cover-up of the lie about the plane. In the end, they said: If you don't want to spend the next ten years in prison and survive, close your mouth and your social media accounts. That's it. Don't cooperate with the enemy."