Journalist who used "death" instead of "martyrdom" in a story about Arbaeen was arrested at the border
"Pouyan Khoshal," a reporter for the Ebtekar newspaper, was arrested by security officials while attempting to leave Iran.
The Tehran Prosecutor’s Office announced on Wednesday that it has filed a criminal complaint against a journalist and has requested legal prosecution. Although the office did not name the journalist in question, Tehran’s Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor Jafari Dolatabadi identified the individual as a journalist for a widely circulated newspaper who had published numerous insulting articles “against Imam Abu Abdullah (AS).”
In a report titled "Disease Lurking in Careless Pilgrims," published in the Sunday issue of Ebtekar newspaper, Pouyan Khoshal used the word "death" instead of "martyrdom" for the anniversary of the third Shiite Imam, Arbaeen. For several years, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been taking Iranians to Karbala with discounts and facilities to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the death of Imam Hussein.
The indictment against this journalist has sparked many reactions on social media, with Twitter users protesting the indictment, but some hardline conservative users also called for the death penalty for this journalist in their tweets.
The Islamic Republic previously sentenced Amir Hossein Mirasmaeili, a reporter for the Jahan Sanat newspaper, to 10 years in prison for a satirical tweet about Imam Reza.
In this regard, Reporters Without Borders issued a statement condemning Iran's actions in censoring reporters and journalists active on social media.
The UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression also criticized the suppression of the media in Iran in his report, citing the suppression and violation of freedom of expression by governments in various countries.
International human rights organizations and the United States government have accused the Islamic Republic of violating freedom of expression and suppressing journalists, and have called for the release of journalists who have been imprisoned simply for carrying out their duties and professions.
Source: Voice of America
