Reporters Without Borders: Dozens of countries restrict media during the coronavirus crisis; continued repression of journalists in Iran

Reporters Without Borders released a report stating that at least 90 countries, including Iran, have obstructed the media from publishing news related to the coronavirus pandemic and have restricted journalists' access.

According to research by Reporters Without Borders, from large countries such as Russia, India, and China to some European countries and small countries in different regions of the world, governments have violated media freedom in numerous cases regarding the dissemination of news about the coronavirus pandemic.

Reporters Without Borders announced that media restrictions have been recorded in five Middle Eastern countries during this period, one of which is Iran, the country with the highest number of deaths from the coronavirus pandemic.

The report states: “The coronavirus pandemic in Iran has coincided with a crackdown on independent journalists in Iran. It is estimated that at least 28 journalists have been summoned, interrogated, or detained since the coronavirus outbreak in Iran.”

The release of news and statistics regarding the spread of the coronavirus in countries such as Russia, China, and Iran has been accompanied by doubts in recent months. According to the Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly and representatives of the World Health Organization, the number of infections in Iran is at least five times the official figure and the death toll is about twice the official figure from the Ministry of Health.

Source: Voice of America