Amnesty International Calls for Release of Journalist Masoud Kazemi
Amnesty International, concurrent with the confirmation of a 4.5-year prison sentence for Masoud Kazemi, journalist and editor-in-chief of the monthly magazine “Sedaye Farsi,” issued a statement calling for the immediate and unconditional release of the journalist from prison.
On Wednesday, Mordad 16, Branch 36 of Tehran’s Court of Appeals confirmed the 4.5-year prison sentence for Masoud Kazemi.
On Wednesday evening, Amnesty International issued a statement declaring the verdict issued against him—which was issued solely because of his professional activities as a journalist—to be unjust, and called on Iranian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Masoud Kazemi.
Shima Tadrisi, one of Masoud Kazemi’s close associates, published this news on her Twitter page on Wednesday, Mordad 16, and wrote that “Masoud Kazemi’s sentence was confirmed exactly as is in the appeals court. This is a gift to Masoud on the occasion of Journalist Day—Masoud’s share of journalism is unemployment and imprisonment.”
حکم چهار سال و ۶ ماه زندان #مسعود_کاظمی در دادگاه تجدیدنظر تایید شد.
این حکم ناعادلانه تنها به خاطر فعالیتهای حرفهای مسعود کاظمی به عنوان یک #روزنامهنگار صادر شده است.
عفو بینالملل از مقامهای ایرانی میخواهد که او را فورا و بدون قید و شرط آزاد کنند.https://t.co/5E3maQUl2Y pic.twitter.com/Z8ijQGom23— Amnesty Iran (@AmnestyIran) August 7, 2019
Mr. Kazemi was convicted of spreading false information to two years, insulting the leadership to two years, and insulting other officials to six months in prison.
Previously, his lawyer stated that if this conviction becomes final, the most severe punishment—two years of imprisonment—would be executed.
This journalist, who has previously worked with the newspapers Shargh and Ghānoon, was arrested at his home in Tehran by security forces in November of last year, and on Wednesday, Khordad 1, following his visit to Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court to address his case, he was arrested due to inability to pay a one billion toman bail and transferred to Evin Prison.
Some time ago, a group of Iranian journalists called for the release of Masoud Kazemi and Marzieh Amiri, detained journalists.
Furthermore, 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 solely for carrying out their duties and profession.
Source: Voice of America
