The International Federation of Journalists also called for the prosecution of fugitive judge Gholamreza Mansouri of the Islamic Republic.
The International Federation of Journalists has called for legal action against Gholamreza Mansouri, a judge in the Islamic Republic's judiciary who was recently named as a fugitive defendant in the court hearing on charges against the former executive deputy of the judiciary, in Romania.
On Monday, June 16, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), in solidarity with Iranian journalists, called on Romanian authorities to prosecute Judge Mansouri in Romania for his actions threatening the freedom and rights of journalists, without extraditing him to Iran.
Anthony Belanger, Secretary General of the International Federation of Journalists, pointed out that crimes against journalists cannot go unpunished, saying: "We, along with several journalist associations and groups, call on the Romanian government and prosecutors not to extradite Judge Mansouri to Iran and to respond to the request of the victimized journalists and prosecute him for human rights violations."
Anthony Belanger emphasizes that "now is the time for justice," saying that many journalists have condemned the judge for violating human rights and taking action against the media and journalists.
Previously, Christophe Delvaert, Secretary General of Reporters Without Borders, tweeted on Saturday, June 14, referring to the identification of Gholamreza Mansouri in Bucharest, saying that if Romania prevents this "torturer" from leaving, it would be an honor for that country, and announced that this international organization defending the rights of journalists has officially filed a complaint with the Romanian prosecutor's office against this judge of the Islamic Republic of Iran's judiciary.
According to Voice of America, just hours after the name of Gholamreza Mansouri, the executive judge of Lavasanat County, was announced as a fugitive defendant in the court investigating the charges against the former executive deputy of the Judiciary, a number of journalists in Iran, including Akbar Montajabi and Pouria Alemi, recalled that this judge, who was for some time an investigator in one of the branches of the Culture and Media Court and the head of this prosecution, was responsible for dealing with a number of media outlets and journalists in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Meanwhile, Jam TV also published a statement announcing that Judge Mansouri took the entire family of Saeed Karimian, the network's director, hostage in order to close the network. Jam TV also wrote that the pressure on the families of the media personnel in Iran continued, ultimately leading to the assassination of Saeed Karimian in 2017.
Reza Moeini, head of the Iran and Afghanistan section of Reporters Without Borders, told VOA on Friday, June 13, that the organization has filed a complaint with the German federal prosecutor and has asked that institution not to allow Gholamreza Mansouri, who is in Europe, to escape justice.
According to Mr. Moeini, this complaint is related to the repression, arrest, and imprisonment of nearly 20 journalists in February and March 2012, who were arbitrarily arrested, pressured, and transferred to solitary confinement cells.
Radio Farda also reported on Saturday that a court in Bucharest, Romania, postponed a decision on the extradition of Judge Gholamreza Mansouri until July 10 and asked Iran to present its evidence within this one-month deadline.
The United States has repeatedly condemned institutionalized financial corruption and the plundering of Iran's God-given assets by the regime's affiliates, and has identified them as among the main causes of Iran's economic and financial problems. Not long ago, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted about the Islamic Republic's officials that they were involved in corruption instead of helping the people.
