Iran
From the Communiqué
17 February 2010

A coalition of IFEX members launched a campaign last week on the 31st anniversary of the Iranian revolution, to pressure the government of Iran to release journalists and activists imprisoned for exercising their right to free expression. The "Our Society Will Be a Free Society" campaign is named for a pledge that Ayatollah Khomenei made during the 1979 Iranian Revolution to protect freedom of expression and the press.
4 February 2010

Iranian authorities are carrying out a lethal campaign to silence independent journalists and critics, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Two Iranian netizens and human rights activists are possibly facing the death penalty. RSF has accused the Iranian regime of crimes against humanity.
6 January 2010

Iranian authorities have been on the hunt for prominent independent journalists and opposition figures in a new wave of arrests that began a day after opposition demonstrations took place countrywide on 27 December 2009, report IFEX members. Iran is now the world's biggest prison for media with 42 journalists behind bars as of this week, says Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
16 December 2009
The Iranian regime views any expression of dissent as opposition that must be controlled, with tighter controls on mass communication, bans on foreign press and deadly responses to peaceful protest, says ARTICLE 19. Opposition publications are routinely muzzled
9 December 2009

Iranian authorities have meticulously carried out total control of news and information in the last week, gearing up for National Students' Day on 7 December, reports Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Recently, two prominent journalists were sentenced to lengthy prison terms, reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Others are being summoned for interrogation or simply arrested.
25 November 2009

A UN human rights committee accused the Iranian government on 20 November of ramping up its use of torture, flogging and amputation of dissidents, reports Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The government has also launched a new Web Crime Unit, policing one of the last spaces for free expression in Iran as it attempts to tighten its control over information, ideas and opinions, reports ARTICLE 19.
Campaigns and Advocacy
3 March 2010

Leading press freedom and free expression groups are asking for your support to help free imprisoned journalists, writers and bloggers in Iran. Since the disputed June elections, there has been a brutal crackdown on dissent. In response, a coalition of free expression organisations has launched a petition drive calling for the release of those imprisoned. More dissidents are in prison in Iran than in any other country in the world: out of at least 60 political prisoners, 47 of them are journalists. Generally, prisoners are held incommunicado and some are tortured.
19 February 2010
Tehran's envoy backtracked on his invitation to the UN's special rapporteurs to visit and investigate claims of rights abuses.
11 February 2010
A coalition of international journalists', writers', and publishers' organisations has launched a campaign to press the government of Iran to release their imprisoned colleagues.
4 February 2010
In a meeting at the European Parliament, IFJ and other groups called for the release of jailed journalists, writers, trades unionists and dissidents.
10 December 2009
On International Human Rights Day, ARTICLE 19 launched an interactive website to encourage networking among bloggers, journalists and activists in Iran.
11 November 2009
Four Iranians are among 37 writers receiving the Hellman/Hammett award, recognising their commitment to free expression and courage in the face of persecution.