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Articles - Iran

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Iran

Crackdown on dissent extends to "last available sanctuary" for free expression: the web

Earlier this month, web developer Saeed Malekpour and IT professionals Vahid Asghari and Ahmad Reza Hasempour had their death sentences confirmed for allegedly hosting illegal content online, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). They are the newest victims of Iran's latest wave of arrests and convictions - one that has mushroomed into a clampdown against online dissent, just before parliamentary elections on 2 March.

Iran

New spate of arrests, including of a film crew, on bogus "conspiracy" charges

The wheels of injustice sped up again in Iran in the last few weeks with a new round of arrests of journalists and filmmakers and the handing down of an 11-year sentence to an ailing human rights defender.

Iran

Authorities responsible for death of dissident Hoda Saber, says RSF

The Iranian authorities are responsible for the death of jailed journalist and dissident Hoda Saber, who died of a heart attack on 10 June after going on hunger strike, says Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Iran

Authorities responsible for Siamak Pourzand's death

The Iranian authorities are responsible for Iranian journalist Siamak Pourzand's suicide, says Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Detained and under house arrest for the past 10 years, banned from leaving the country and separated from his family, Pourzand, 80, committed suicide on 29 April in Tehran, report RSF and PEN American Center.

Iran / Awards / World Press Freedom Day

Jailed Iranian journalist wins World Press Freedom Prize

In 2009, well-known Iranian journalist Ahmad Zeidabadi was one of dozens of journalists arrested following the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and charged with plotting to overthrow the government with a "soft revolution". He was sentenced to six years in jail, five years of exile and a lifetime ban from practising journalism. In 2011, he has been awarded the UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.

Bahrain / Algeria / Iran / Yemen

Journalists, peaceful protesters violently suppressed

The ouster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has reinvigorated protests across the Arab region, resulting in clashes between security forces and protesters in Algeria, Bahrain, Iran and Yemen, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Human Rights Watch and IFEX members in the region.

Iran

Seven journalists arrested in less than one week

As Iran began a round of discussions with the international community on its nuclear programme in recent months, it has stepped up attacks on the media, living up to its reputation as the world's leading jailer of journalists. Police raided the office of Iran's flagship reformist paper, "Shargh", twice on 7 December and beat and arrested four of its journalists, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), ARTICLE 19 and Index on Censorship. Three more journalists have been arrested since then, on top of more news of abusive treatment endured by Iranian prisoners.

International / Awards / Iran

Jailed Iranian journalist receives WAN-IFRA Golden Pen of Freedom

Ahmad Zeid-Abadi, an Iranian journalist who was thrown in jail following Iran's disputed presidential election last year, has been awarded the 2010 Golden Pen of Freedom, the annual press freedom prize of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

Iran

The "Blogfather" gets 19 years in regime's war on opinion

One blogger has just been sentenced to 19.5 years in prison, another faces the death penalty and three journalists have been handed multi-year prison terms in Iran, report IFEX members. Take action now to support "The Blogfather," as Hossein Derakhshan is known, by signing the petition at: http://www.freetheblogfather.org/

Iran

Violence against critical voices continues one year after disputed elections

One year after the disputed 12 June elections in Iran, the regime continues to tighten its grip and methodically crush dissent. IFEX members are calling on the Iranian government to release all imprisoned journalists and writers and end its repression of press freedom and free expression in the country.

Iran

IFEX members deliver petition demanding the release of imprisoned journalists

A coalition of 16 free expression organisations, including many IFEX members, delivered a petition with 3,500 signatures to Iran's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York City on 6 April, calling for the release of imprisoned journalists, writers and bloggers.

Iran

IFEX members spearhead campaign to release imprisoned Iranian journalists

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.

Iran

Systematic suppression of dissent continues

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.

Iran

Journalists and opposition critics rounded up; 42 imprisoned

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).

Iran

ARTICLE 19 launches Iranian blog, Azad Tribune

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

Iran

Protesters ferociously attacked; dissidents hunted down

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.

Iran

Torture of opposition critics and journalists continues; free speech monitored online

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.

Iran

Journalist freed on bail; repression continues

Journalist Maziar Bahari was freed on bail on 17 October after spending 120 days in Tehran's Evin prison, report Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE).

Iran

Journalists forced to confess in show trials; detainees tortured

The media was excoriated in Iran last week in the farcical mass trial of opponents of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election, reports Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Authorities continue to detain journalists employed by foreign media and target bloggers.

Iran

Now world's worst jailer of journalists

With approximately 40 journalists now in prison, Iran has surpassed China as the world's worst jailer of media workers, report Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Iran

Media repression continues into second week

As daily street demonstrations gripped the nation following Iran's disputed presidential elections, Iran's crackdown on the media continued into its second week, report IFEX members. An unknown number of journalists have been arrested, expelled or confined to their offices, while newspapers are being censored and communications disrupted.

Iran

IFEX members call for end to government crackdown on media following election

Iranian authorities have censored independent media sources, both local and foreign, as anti-government protests have raged in the country following last Friday's presidential elections, report ARTICLE 19, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and other IFEX members.

Iran

RSF urges presidential candidates to defend free expression

Last week Iran temporarily blocked access to Facebook, prompting government critics to condemn the move as an attempt to silence the opposition before next month's presidential election.

Iran / United States

Roxana Saberi freed

IFEX members welcomed the release of U.S. Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi, whose eight-year jail term for spying for the U.S. was this week reduced to a suspended two-year sentence and a five-year ban on reporting from Iran.

Iran / United States

Freelancer Roxana Saberi convicted of spying

Iran convicted an American-Iranian journalist of spying for the United States and sentenced her to eight years in prison, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the International Press Institute (IPI).

Iran

"BLOGUERO" MUERE MIENTRAS ESTÁ EN CUSTODIA

Iran

UN BLOGUEUR MEURT EN DÉTENTION

Iran

BLOGGER DIES WHILE IN CUSTODY

An Iranian blogger sent to prison last month for insulting the country's religious leaders and making propaganda against the state has died under questionable circumstances, report ARTICLE 19, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Iran

ESCALADA DE ATAQUES CONTRA PROMINENTE DEFENSOR DE LOS DERECHOS HUMANOS

Iran

LES ATTAQUES S'AMPLIFIENT CONTRE UNE CHAMPIONNE ÉMINENTE DES DROITS DE LA PERSONNE

Iran

ATTACKS ESCALATE ON PROMINENT HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER

Attacks on Iran's most prominent human rights defender by the authorities raise concerns of a broader attempt to silence Iran's human rights community, say Human Rights Watch and other rights groups, as well as the United Nations.

Iran

PERIODISTA Y ACTIVISTA DE BALUCHISTÁN EJECUTADO, OTROS ESTÁN EN RIESGO

Iran

UN JOURNALISTE ET MILITANT BALOUTCHI EST EXÉCUTÉ, D'AUTRES COURENT DES RISQUES

Iran

BALUCHI JOURNALIST AND ACTIVIST EXECUTED, OTHERS AT RISK

Iran is using the death penalty against several journalists and activists for their work, say rights groups. On 4 August 2008, Yaghoub Mehrnehad, a social activist and journalist for the "Mardomsalari" ("Democracy") newspaper in Baluchistan, was executed, report the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). He was also executive director of Voice of Justice Youth Association, a local NGO registered with the authorities since 2002, and an advocate for the Baluchi minority.

Iran

SUPREMA CORTE CONFIRMA SENTENCIA DE MUERTE DE PERIODISTA KURDO

Iran

LA COUR SUPRÊME CONFIRME LA PEINE DE MORT PRONONCÉE CONTRE UN JOURNALISTE KURDE

Iran

SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS KURDISH JOURNALIST'S DEATH SENTENCE

The Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence for a Kurdish-Iranian journalist convicted of spying and being an "enemy of God", Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) reports.

Iran

LES DEUX DERNIÈRES PERSONNES AYANT LA DOUBLE NATIONALITÉ, AMÉRICAINE ET IRANIENNE, SONT RELÂCHÉES

Iran

LIBERAN A ÚLTIMAS DOS PERSONAS CON DOBLE NACIONALIDAD IRANOESTADOUNIDENSE

Iran

IRAN: LAST TWO U.S.-IRANIAN DUAL NATIONALS RELEASED

Two U.S.-Iranians detained in Tehran's notorious Evin prison for more than four months have been released, report ARTICLE 19, Index on Censorship, Human Rights Watch and news reports.

Iran

PERMITEN A PERIODISTA Y A ACADÉMICA IRANOAMERICANAS SALIR DEL PAÍS

Iran

UNE JOURNALISTE ET UNE UNIVERSITAIRE IRANO-AMÉRICAINES SONT AUTORISÉES À QUITTER LE PAYS

Iran

U.S.-IRANIAN JOURNALIST AND ACADEMIC ALLOWED TO LEAVE COUNTRY

A U.S.-Iranian broadcaster banned from leaving Iran for the past seven months has been given permission to leave the country, the day after another dual citizen left Tehran following her release from jail in August on bail.

Iran

ACADÉMICA IRANÍ-AMERICANA LIBERADA BAJO FIANZA

Iran

UNE UNIVERSITAIRE IRANO-AMÉRICAINE EST LIBÉRÉE SOUS CAUTION

Iran

IRANIAN-U.S. ACADEMIC RELEASED ON BAIL

An Iranian-U.S. scholar jailed in Iran for more than three months was released on bail last week, following protests by activists and international human rights groups. But she still faces charges of endangering Iran's national security and cannot leave the country.

Iran

OFENSIVA DE IRÁN CONTRA PERIODISTAS CON SENTENCIAS DE MUERTE Y PENAS DE CÁRCEL

Iran

L'IRAN S'ATTAQUE AUX JOURNALISTES À COUPS DE PEINES DE MORT ET D'EMPRISONNEMENT

Iran

IRAN CRACKS DOWN ON JOURNALISTS WITH DEATH SENTENCES, PRISON TERMS

Iranian authorities have stepped up their efforts to persecute and jail journalists, activists and human rights defenders, report human rights groups worldwide. Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) wants you to sign a petition demanding the release of two of their latest victims: Iranian Kurdish journalists whose death sentences were confirmed by the authorities on 31 July.

Iran

DES « ESPIONS » POSSÉDANT LA DOUBLE NATIONALITÉ SONT DÉTENUS ET EMPÊCHÉS DE QUITTER LE PAYS

Iran

"ESPÍAS" CON DOBLE CIUDADANÍA DETENIDOS; SE LES IMPIDE SALIR DEL PAÍS

Iran

DUAL CITIZEN "SPIES" DETAINED, PREVENTED FROM LEAVING COUNTRY

Iran charged three U.S.-Iranian citizens with espionage last week, amid recent accusations by Iranian authorities that the U.S. is using dissidents to try to overthrow the country's Islamic government.

Iran

AGISSEZ ! PROTESTEZ CONTRE L'INCARCÉRATION DE MILITANTES IRANIENNES

Iran

PROTEST THE JAILING OF IRANIAN WOMEN ACTIVISTS

The Women's Learning Partnership for Rights, Development, and Peace (WLP) is asking you to join its letter writing campaign in support of women activists who were sentenced to prison in April - for organising a women's protest in Tehran.

Iran

OFENSIVA CONTRA MANIFESTACIÓN A FAVOR DE DERECHOS DE LA MUJER

Iran

RÉPRESSION DE LA MANIFESTATION EN FAVEUR DES DROITS DES FEMMES

Iran

CRACKDOWN ON WOMEN'S RIGHTS DEMONSTRATION

Twenty-two journalists were among 33 demonstrators arrested at a women's rights protest on 4 March 2007 in Tehran. Two journalists, Shadi Sadr and Mahbubeh Abbasgholizadeh, remain in solitary confinement and on hunger strike, said Human Rights Watch.

Iran

PROHÍBEN VIAJES INTERNACIONALES A ACTIVISTAS DE DERECHOS HUMANOS Y PERIODISTAS

Iran

DES DÉFENSEURS DES DROITS DE LA PERSONNE ET DES JOURNALISTES SONT EMPÊCHÉS DE SE RENDRE À L'ÉTRANGER

Iran

HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS, JOURNALISTS BARRED FROM INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

Iranian authorities have imposed foreign travel bans on at least eight human rights activists and journalists in recent months, preventing them from expressing their views at international conferences, reports Human Rights Watch.

Iran

CAMPAÑA DE ARTICLE 19 SE ENFOCA EN LA CENSURA DE INTERNET

Iran

LA CAMPAGNE D'ARTICLE 19 SE CONCENTRE SUR LA CENSURE DE L'INTERNET

Iran

ARTICLE 19 CAMPAIGN FOCUSES ON INTERNET CENSORSHIP

ARTICLE 19 has launched a campaign aimed at raising awareness of the increasing spread of Internet censorship in Iran.

Iran

ARTICLE 19 ET FREEDOM HOUSE S'ATTAQUENT À LA CENSURE

Iran

ARTICLE 19 Y FREEDOM HOUSE PONEN CENSURA EN PRIMER PLANO

Iran

ARTICLE 19, FREEDOM HOUSE SPOTLIGHT CENSORSHIP

With much of the world's attention on Iran, ARTICLE 19 and Freedom House have launched new publications aimed at shedding light on the state of free expression in the country and the challenges faced by artists, writers, journalists and dissidents.

Iran

UNE IRANIENNE SE VOIT DÉCERNER LE PRIX INTERNATIONAL DE LA LIBERTÉ DE PUBLIER, DE L'UIE

Iran

IRANIAN WOMAN AWARDED IPA PUBLISHERS' FREEDOM PRIZE

The International Publishers' Association (IPA) has announced that Shahla Lahiji, the first female publisher in Iran, has been awarded the inaugural IPA Publishers' Freedom Prize.

Iran

¡ACTÚE! ACADÉMICO IRANÍ DETENIDO

Iran

AGISSEZ ! UN UNIVERSITAIRE IRANIEN EST DÉTENU

Iran

TAKE ACTION! IRANIAN SCHOLAR DETAINED

May 23, 2006

Iran

AKBAR GANJI EST LIBÉRÉ

Iran

AKBAR GANJI LIBERADO DE CÁRCEL

Iran

AKBAR GANJI RELEASED FROM JAIL

IFEX members have welcomed the news that Iranian journalist Akbar Ganji has been released from prison, but they caution that the outspoken dissident could be sent back to jail at any time. Ganji became a free man on 17 March 2006 after serving a six-year sentence.

Iran

LES MEMBRES DE L'IFEX PLEURENT LES VICTIMES DE L'ÉCRASEMENT D'UN AVION

Iran

MIEMBROS DE IFEX LAMENTAN MUERTE DE VÍCTIMAS DE ACCIDENTE AÉREO

Iran

IFEX MEMBERS MOURN VICTIMS OF PLANE CRASH

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is offering to assist the families of journalists who died last week in an airplane crash in Tehran, Iran, a disaster it called the worst-ever in which journalists and media staff lost their lives.

Iran

OTORGAN PLUMA DORADA DE LA LIBERTAD A PERIODISTA IRANÍ

Iran

UN JOURNALISTE IRANIEN REÇOIT LA PLUME D'OR DE LA LIBERTÉ

Iran

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH REND HOMMAGE À UN BLOGUEUR IRANIEN

Iran

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH HOMENAJEA A AUTOR DE BLOG IRANÍ

Iran

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH HONOURS IRANIAN BLOGGER

Omid Memarian, an Iranian blogger and journalist who was detained and tortured by authorities last year for defending human rights, will be honoured by Human Rights Watch next week as one of three winners of the 2005 Human Rights Defender Awards.

Iran

HOSPITALIZAN A PERIODISTA ENCARCELADO

Iran

UN JOURNALISTE EMPRISONNÉ EST HOSPITALISÉ

Iran

JAILED JOURNALIST HOSPITALISED

IFEX members have joined international demands for the release of jailed Iranian journalist Akbar Ganji, who was hospitalised on 18 July 2005 during a hunger strike that has lasted more than a month. He has reportedly lost 50 pounds.

Iran

DES DISSIDENTS SONT RÉDUIT AU SILENCE DANS LE DERNIER SPRINT AVANT LES ÉLECTIONS

Iran

DISSIDENTS SILENCED IN LEAD-UP TO ELECTIONS

As the international community eyes Iran's presidential elections this month, IFEX members are calling attention to the plight of the country's imprisoned dissidents and writers.

Iran

LA PHOTOGRAPHE CANADIENNE ZAHRA KAZEMI A ÉTÉ TORTURÉE

Iran

FOTÓGRAFA CANADIENSE TORTURADA

Iran

CANADIAN PHOTOGRAPHER TORTURED

PEN Canada, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) have renewed calls for justice in the case of murdered Canadian photographer Zahra Kazemi, following revelations from a former doctor that she was brutally tortured and raped during her detention in Iran in 2003.

Iran

LES AUTORITÉS INTENSIFIENT LA RÉPRESSION CONTRE LES BLOGUEURS

Iran

AUTORIDADES INTENSIFICAN OFENSIVA CONTRA ESCRITORES DE BLOGS

Iran

AUTHORITIES INTENSIFY CRACKDOWN ON BLOGGERS

IFEX members are calling attention to Iran, where the growing popularity of the Internet is making the country's authorities nervous. With the country's reform-minded independent press largely silenced, individuals are turning to the Internet to spread opinions and voice concerns over human rights and other politically sensitive issues.

Iran

DES BLOGGUEURS PROTESTENT CONTRE LA RÉPRESSION DE L'INTERNET

Iran

ESCRITORES DE BITÁCORAS EN WEB PROTESTAN POR OFENSIVA CONTRA INTERNET

Iran

BLOGGERS PROTEST INTERNET CRACKDOWN

In Iran, the phenomenon of online blogs, or web-based diaries, is taking on a political life of its own. Hundreds of so-called bloggers are finding ways of sharing information and mobilising support and international attention on state censorship.

Iran

L'ÉBAUCHE D'UN PROJET DE LOI SUR L'INTERNET PRÉSENTE UNE MENACE POUR LA LIBRE EXPRESSION, DIT RSF

Iran

PROYECTO DE LEY DE INTERNET PLANTEA AMENAZA A LIBRE EXPRESIÓN: RSF

Iran

DRAFT LAW POSES THREAT TO FREE EXPRESSION: RSF

Expressing one's opinions over the Internet could become a much more risky activity in Iran if a proposed bill aimed at stamping out "nauseating content" becomes law, warns Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontierès, RSF).

Iran

IRAN : ÉCRIVEZ UNE LETTRE POUR EXIGER JUSTICE DANS L'AFFAIRE KAZEMI

Iran

DES MEMBRES DE L'IFEX DEMANDENT JUSTICE DANS LE MEURTRE D'UNE JOURNALISTE

Iran

IRÁN: ESCRIBA UNA CARTA PARA EXIGIR JUSTICIA EN CASO KAZEMI

Iran

IRÁN: MIEMBROS DE IFEX EXIGEN JUSTICIA POR ASESINATO DE PERIODISTA

Iran

TAKE ACTION! IRAN: WRITE A LETTER DEMANDING JUSTICE IN KAZEMI CASE

20 July 2004

Iran

IFEX MEMBERS DEMAND JUSTICE IN JOURNALIST'S MURDER

More than one year after Canadian photo-journalist Zahra Kazemi was killed in detention for taking photos outside an Iranian prison, those responsible for her death remain at large. This week, her case and the plight of independent journalists in Iran were back in the international spotlight.

Iran

L'UNION EUROPÉENNE INVITÉE À DURCIR SA POSITION SUR LES DROITS

Iran

INSTAN A UE A MOSTRARSE ESTRICTA RESPECTO A DERECHOS HUMANOS

Iran

EU URGED TO GET TOUGH ON HUMAN RIGHTS

As European Union (EU) leaders prepare to meet Iranian officials next week for the annual "human rights dialogue", Human Rights Watch is calling on the EU to put pressure on Iran over its practice of torture and suppression of free expression.

Iran

¡ACTÚE! IRÁN: AYUDE A LIBERAR A PERIODISTA ENCARCELADO

Iran

TAKE ACTION! HELP RELEASE JAILED IRANIAN JOURNALIST

PEN Canada has launched a letter-writing campaign to help free jailed Iranian journalist and film critic Siamak Pourzand from jail.

Iran

Les blogs permettent aux Iraniens de s'exprimer librement

Iran

Blogs brindan a iraníes un canal de libertad de palabra

Iran

Blogs Provide Free Speech Outlet for Iranians

20 April 2004

Iran

LE RAPPORTEUR DES NATIONS UNIES PLAIDE POUR UNE AMNISTIE EN FAVEUR DES JOURNALISTES EMPRISONNÉS

Iran

RELATOR DE ONU INSTA A OTORGAR AMNISTÍA A PERIODISTAS ENCARCELADOS

Iran

UN RAPPORTEUR URGES AMNESTY FOR JAILED JOURNALISTS

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Free Expression, Ambeyi Ligabo, has called on the Iranian government to reform its press laws and release all journalists imprisoned because of their work, a move hailed by Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).

Iran

LE PEN INTERNATIONAL S'APPRÊTE À LANCER UNE CAMPAGNE

Iran

PEN INTERNACIONAL INICIARÁ CAMPAÑA

Iran

INTERNATIONAL PEN TO LAUNCH CAMPAIGN

As free-expression violations escalate in Iran, the Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN (WiPC) is launching a new letter-writing campaign to draw attention to dozens of imprisoned writers and journalists in the country.

Iran

LE PEN CANADA ENTEND CONTINUER À SUIVRE LE PROCÈS KAZEMI

Iran

PEN CANADÁ VIGILARÁ JUICIO DEL CASO KAZEMI

Iran

PEN CANADA TO KEEP WATCH ON KAZEMI TRIAL

Efforts to keep freedom of expression in Iran under the Canadian spotlight are being bolstered, thanks to a coalition of non-governmental organisations, including PEN Canada. The group has launched an e-mail fundraising campaign to send a Canadian observer to Tehran to observe the trial of the man accused of murdering photographer Zahra Kazemi.

Iran

LE RAPPORTEUR DES NATIONS UNIES SUR LA LIBERTÉ D'EXPRESSION SE RENDRA EN IRAN

Iran

RELATOR DE LIBRE EXPRESIÓN DE ONU VISITARÁ IRÁN

Iran

UN FREE-EXPRESSION RAPPORTEUR TO VISIT IRAN

The UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, Ambeyi Ligabo, will visit Iran next month to examine the state of free expression in the country, reports UN Wire. From 4 to 10 November, he will meet with senior government officials and judges, UN agency representatives, journalists and civil society organisations.

Iran

UNE CHAMPIONNE DES DROITS DE LA PERSONNE REMPORTE LE PRIX NOBEL DE LA PAIX

Iran

DEFENSORA DE DERECHOS HUMANOS GANA PREMIO NOBEL DE LA PAZ

Iran

HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATE WINS NOBEL PEACE PRIZE

Freedom of expression in Iran was once again thrust into the international spotlight last week, following news that the Iranian human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Freedom House called it a "momentous day" for human rights in Iran, Index on Censorship termed it a "surprise," while Human Rights Watch welcomed it as a sign of international support for all Iranians.

Iran

UN RAPPORTEUR POSTPONES VISIT TO IRAN

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Ambeyi Ligabo, has postponed a visit to Iran at the request of the Iranian government. He was originally scheduled to visit the country from 17 to 27 July to examine the state of free expression there.

Iran

LE RAPPORTEUR DES NATIONS UNIES REPORTE SA VISITE EN IRAN

Iran

UNE PHOTOJOURNALISTE CANADIENNE MEURT EN GARDE À VUE

Iran

PHOTOJOURNALIST DIES IN IRANIAN CUSTODY

IFEX members are leading an international protest over the death of Iranian-Canadian photo-journalist Zahra Kazemi, who died in an Iranian hospital on 11 July after suffering a brain hemorrhage from being beaten while in police custody.

Iran

8 JOURNALISTS ARRESTED AMIDST GOVERNMENT CRACKDOWN

Against the backdrop of vocal student protests against the Iranian government, numerous IFEX members are calling attention to a renewed crackdown on free expression in the country, where at least eight journalists have been arrested and a letter by parliamentarians critical of Ayatollah Khamenei's policies censored.

Iran

SEVEN JOURNALISTS SENTENCED TO 52 YEARS IN PRISON

While the Cuban government's recent crackdown on free expression has drawn considerable coverage from international media, scant attention is being paid to Iran where seven journalists were sentenced on 10 May to prison terms totaling 52 years.

Iran

LES AUTORITÉS INTENSIFIENT LA RÉPRESSION DE LA LIBRE EXPRESSION

Iran

AUTORIDADES INTENSIFICAN OFENSIVA CONTRA LIBRE EXPRESIÓN

Iran

AUTHORITIES INTENSIFY CRACKDOWN ON FREE EXPRESSION

Human Rights Watch (HRW), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF), International PEN and the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) have drawn attention in recent weeks to what they say is a renewed crackdown on free expression in Iran.

Iran

LA RÉPRESSION S?ABAT SUR LES JOURNALISTES ET LES JOURNAUX

Iran

OFENSIVA DE AUTORIDADES CONTRA PERIODISTAS Y PERIÓDICOS

Iran

AUTHORITIES CRACK DOWN ON JOURNALISTS, NEWSPAPERS

In a move that critics say reflects Iran's status as one of the "world's worst places to be a journalist," the Iranian government has sentenced three journalists to prison and banned three newspapers in the past two weeks, say the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).

Iran

EZTAHOLLAH SAHABI LIBERADO DE PRISIÓN

Iran

EZTAHOLLAH SAHABI RELEASED FROM PRISON

Ezatollah Sahabi, a journalist for the Iranian bimonthly "Iran-é-Farda", has been released on bail from prison, reports Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF). Sahabi, 75, had been arrested on 17 December 2000 and sentenced on 13 January to 4 ½ years in prison for producing "propaganda against the regime," says RSF. The allegation arose out of a speech Sahabi gave at Amir-Kabir Technical University in Tehran in November 2000. While in prison, the journalist had to be hospitalised twice following heart problems, says RSF. RSF says 18 journalists remain imprisoned in Iran, including Taghi Rahmani of "Omid-é-Zangan" who is in solitary confinement and has not been allowed to receive visits from his family. [See IFEX "Communiqué" #10-5].">http://communique.ifex.org/articles.cfm?system_id=2767">#10-5].

Iran

REZA ALIJANI LIBERADO DE PRISIÓN; OTROS DOS PERIODISTAS ENCARCELADOS

Iran

DEUX AUTRES JOURNALISTES SONT INCARCÉRÉS

Iran

REZA ALIJANI RELEASED FROM PRISON; TWO MORE JOURNALISTS JAILED

Reza Alijani, the editor-in-chief of the suspended monthly "Iran-e-Farda" ("Iran Tomorrow"), has been released from prison, reports Reporters sans frontières (RSF).

Iran

IRANIAN EDITOR WINS RSF'S FONDATION DE FRANCE PRIZE

Reza Alijani, editor-in-chief of the Iranian magazine "Iran-é-Farda", has won Reporters sans frontières' (RSF) 10th Fondation de France Prize, in recognition of his commitment to the defense of press freedom in Iran.

Iran

CERRADOS DESDE 1997; MIL ANTENAS PARA SATÉLITE CONFISCADAS

Iran

ONT ÉTÉ FERMÉS DEPUIS 1997; 1000 ANTENNES PARABOLIQUES ONT ÉTÉ CONFISQUÉES

Iran

FIFTY-TWO NEWSPAPERS SHUT DOWN SINCE 1997; 1,000 SATELLITE DISHES CONFISCATED

Fifty-two newspapers in Iran have been closed down by the conservative-dominated judiciary since 1997, when reformist President Muhammad Khatami took office, reveals a Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) report. Written as a guide to the "players and institutions involved in the struggle for press freedom," the report notes that the shutting down of newspapers has been part of a "systemic campaign aimed at silencing the so-called reformist press."

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PERIODISTA AKBAR GANJI SENTENCIADO A OTROS SEIS AÑOS DE CÁRCEL

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LE JOURNALISTE AKBAR GANJI EST CONDAMNÉ À UNE AUTRE PEINE DE SIX ANS DE PRISON

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JOURNALIST AKBAR GANJI SENTENCED TO SIX MORE YEARS IN PRISON

Iranian Journalist Akbar Ganji has been sentenced to an additional six-year prison term, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters sans frontières (RSF). He received the sentence on 16 July for collecting confidential information that harms national security and spreading propaganda against the Islamic system, according to CPJ. The charges stemmed from Ganji's participation in an April 2000 conference in Berlin on the future of Iran's reform movement. "This iniquitous judgement is a sign of the press freedom situation in Iran," says RSF, which notes that 27 journalists are behind bars in the country.

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EXHORTAN A PRESIDENTE A LIBERAR PERIODISTAS ENCARCELADOS EN PRÓXIMO PERIODO

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AU COURS DE SON NOUVEAU MANDAT, DE FAIRE RELÂCHER LES JOURNALISTES EMPRISONNÉS

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PRESIDENT URGED TO RELEASE JAILED JOURNALISTS IN UPCOMING TERM

In separate statements on 6 June, two days before Iran's presidential election, both Reporters sans frontières (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called for greater press freedom in the country. RSF urged the ten candidates, most notably the incumbent and eventual winner Mohammed Khatami, to make a commitment to press freedom and put an end to the imprisonment of journalists. Since 1997, when Khatami was first elected, the media have experienced considerable freedom and have become an important arena for political debate, noted RSF. However, in the past year conservatives have attacked this freedom by arresting journalists and shutting down reformist publications. RSF called on Khatami to support the press, "no longer just through words, but also through action to stop the offensive led by the regime's hard-liners."

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REDUCEN SENTENCIA DE PERIODISTA, ARRESTAN A OTROS DOS Y CIERRAN 400 CIBERCAFES

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QUE DEUX AUTRES JOURNALISTES SONT ARRÊTÉS ET QUE L?ON FERME 400 CAFÉS INTERNET

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SENTENCE REDUCED, WHILE TWO MORE ARRESTED AND 400 INTERNET CAFES CLOSED

Akbar Ganji, Iran's leading investigative journalist, has had his prison sentence dramatically reduced, report the Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of International PEN and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE). Ganji is expected to be released soon, says WiPC. However, two more journalists have been arrested and 400 Internet cafes closed in Iran in recent days, according to Reporters sans frontières (RSF), which fears further arrests with presidential elections approaching in June.

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HERMETISMO EN JUICIO PLANTEA PREGUNTAS ACERCA DE LEGITIMIDAD

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LE HUIS CLOS SOULÈVE DES QUESTIONS SUR LA LÉGITIMITÉ D?UN PROCÈS

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TRIAL SECRECY RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT LEGITIMACY

Iran's demonstrated proclivity to hold serious press-related criminal trials in relative secrecy is continuing to prompt widespread protest in the press freedom community. In recent weeks, Reporters sans frontières (RSF) has issued several alerts condemning Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as "one of the world's twenty-two worst enemies of press freedom." Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on 29 January that the trial of eighteen Iranian intelligence officials accused of killing dissident intellectuals has left "key questions unanswered about the ultimate responsibility for the murders." According to HRW's information, three of the defendants were sentenced to death and two were sentenced to life imprisonment. However, key witnesses were not allowed to take the stand, says a lawyer for two of the defendants. When the latter attempted to introduce ten witnesses to testify that the killings were ordered by the then-Minister of Intelligence, the court allegedly refused to hear them.

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CJFE APOYA A LOS MEDIOS REFORMISTAS

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LE CJFE APPUIE LES MÉDIAS RÉFORMATEURS

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CJFE SUPPORTS REFORMIST MEDIA

In September, nearly 200 Canadian journalists and other supporters of Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) signed an open letter of support to reformist journalists and writers in Iran who continue to suffer for their belief that free expression is a right to be preserved at all costs. “We have watched as your colleagues have been struck down, as many of you have been jailed and indeed remain jailed, as many of you have gone into exile to save your lives, and as nearly 30 newspapers have been shut down or banned,” say the letter’s signatories. “We honour you for your courage, your tenacity and your will to refuse to be silenced.”

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PETICIÓN EN LÍNEA DE RSF PROTESTA CONTRA VIOLACIONES A LOS MEDIOS

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CONTRE LES VIOLATIONS DES DROITS DES MÉDIAS

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RSF ONLINE PETITION PROTESTS MEDIA VIOLATIONS

Individuals and groups worldwide are strongly encouraged to sign Reporters sans frontières' (RSF) online petition addressed to religious leader Ayatollah Khamenei, demanding that he "ensure the immediate release of imprisoned journalists, the lifting of legal proceedings against the journalists, the lifting of bans on newspapers and the repeal of the press law whose articles are a violation of press freedom." With the arrests of two more Iranian journalists on 12 and 13 August, Iran has now become "the biggest jail for journalists in the world," says RSF. Fourteen journalists are presently in Iran's prisons, while an additional sixteen journalists who have been prosecuted by the Iranian Justice Ministry may be arrested in coming weeks, records RSF.

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SE INTENSIFICAN AGRESIONES CONTRA MEDIOS Y DEMOCRACIA

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INTENSIFICATION DES ASSAUTS PORTÉS AUX MÉDIAS ET À LA DÉMOCRATIE

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ASSAULTS ON MEDIA AND DEMOCRACY INTENSIFY

In its latest assault against the media, Iran's outgoing parliament has shut down 14 newspapers and magazines and imprisoned a number of journalists and writers, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Reporters sans frontières (RSF). On 23 and 24 April, authorities ordered the publications to close in order to "prevent them from committing new offenses, from affecting society's opinions, and arousing concern among the people," reports CPJ. This assault is part of the majority conservative parliament's larger attack on democracy, only two months after it was "decimated" in the country's legislative elections. In what CPJ calls a "de facto coup," the parliament has annulled election results in many parts of the country. Iran supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the hard-liner Ayatollah Abolqasem Khazali have also publicly called for violence against reformist and pro-democracy leaders. HRW suggests that the crackdown "appears to be an effort to punish the vast majority who voted in February for political reform," and may anticipate the upcoming run-off elections for a number of parliamentary seats.

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ATAQUE CONTRA PRENSA CREA INQUIETUD INTERNACIONAL

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LA RÉPRESSION CONTRE LA PRESSE SÈME L'INQUIÉTUDE DANS LE MONDE

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PRESS CRACKDOWN RAISES INTERNATIONAL CONCERN

The recent press crackdown that has led to widespread unrest in Iran has prompted the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) to appeal to President Mohammad Khatami "to take a strong stance against the repression of media" in Iran. "Over the past 18 months, 18 newspapers have been suspended and 16 journalists arrested. These are astounding figures for a country run by a President who promised on his election to place greater freedom of expression for the media at the top of his agenda,"WAN President Bengt Braun writes in a recent letter to Khatami.

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CONSERVATIVES CRACK DOWN ON THE PRESS

A proposed press law introduced by conservatives in Iran would further restrict the media, which is already under attack, reports Reporters sans frontières (RSF). The followers of Spiritual Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, who hold a parliamentary majority, hope to reform the current court system for press-related matters, making it more restrictive and a potentially serious threat to press freedom. With 16 newspapers suspended and 13 journalists arrested over an 18-month period, RSF also reports that a harassment campaign has been launched against the press. RSF states that "journalists of the liberal press are victims of pressure from the judiciary, dominated by conservatives." Newspapers have been suspended for basic infractions, such as "slander." Two journalists were murdered late last year, amongst a group of five dissidents and intellectuals. Others have been detained and released, only after raising large amounts of bail money. Legislative elections are scheduled for March 2000, "after which hardliners fear they will lose their last bastion within the Islamic régime," comments RSF.

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STUDENTS KILLED DURING PRESS FREEDOM PROTESTS

Two Iranian students were killed and over 200 arrested in recent protests over press freedom and against the closure of the daily newspaper "Salam" at Tehran University's Amirabad campus. According to information received by Amnesty International, "a student demonstration in Tehran was attacked by scores of armed members of the vigilante student group Ansar-e Hezbollah (Helpers of Hezbollah), which opposes current political developments in Iran, on 8 July 1999." Security forces were also reportedly involved in the attack." The following day, the police stormed a hostel where students were demonstrating and killed three of them, according to reports. The demonstrations continued for several days with the students demanding the resignation of the police chief responsible for the attacks on the protests. Over 10,000 demonstrators took to the streets on 13 July and were pushed back by police who fired at them with tear gas and made extensive arrests.

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CONSERVADORES INICIAN OFENSIVA CONTRA PRENSA

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LES CONSERVATEURS S'ATTAQUENT À LA PRESSE

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POUR EXIGER LE RESPECT DE LA LIBERTÉ D?EXPRESSION

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RESPETO POR LA LIBERTAD DE EXPRESIÓN

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IRAN: NINE IFEX MEMBERS ISSUE JOINT ACTION DEMANDING RESPECT FOR FREE SPEECH

On 8 June 1999, nine IFEX members joined to issue a statement denouncing continued censorship and threats to free speech in Iran. The statement says that in light of the decision of the United States to lift its economic sanctions on Iran, and the interest being shown by western countries in the ongoing social and economic developments in Iran, it is crucial to recall that the existence of censorship, the lack of freedom of expression and the nonexistence of a free, independent press is still a serious hindrance to democratic development in Iran.

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DE LA POLICE SONT RESPONSABLES DES MEURTRES D'ÉCRIVAINS

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ROGUE POLICE RESPONSIBLE FOR RECENT MURDERS OF WRITERS

On 6 January, the Iranian secret police acknowledged that a

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ENCUENTRAN CUERPOS DE OTROS DOS PERIODISTAS

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DEUX ÉCRIVAINS DISPARUS SONT RETROUVÉS MORTS

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TWO MISSING WRITERS FOUND DEAD

Two more writers found dead in Tehran bring the toll to three in the past two weeks alone, report the Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of International PEN, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Reporters sans frontières (RSF). On 11 December, Mohammad Ja'frar Pouyandeh, an essayist and translator of French literature, was found dead after having been missing for two days, reports the WiPC. Pouyandeh disappeared while on his way from his office to a meeting on 9 December. According to reports, his body was found underneath a railway bridge in a suburb of Tehran after he was apparently strangled. His family were not informed of the death until 13 December. Poet Mohammad Mokhtari was found dead in a morgue on 9 December, after having been missing for six days. Marks on his head and neck suggested he may have been strangled as well. RSF says, "As a prominent writer in the opposition camp, he contributed to many liberal newspapers and was famous for his critical stances against the regime. He had been arrested several times by the security forces."

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DESAPARECEN DOS PERIODISTAS MÁS

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DEUX AUTRES JOURNALISTES DISPARAISSENT

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TWO MORE JOURNALISTS DISAPPEAR

Two writers have disappeared and a journalist was found dead recently in Iran, report Reporters sans frontières (RSF) and the World Association of Newspapers (WAN). Most recently, on 3 December 1998, writer and journalist Mohamad Mokhtari disappeared in Tehran. "As a prominent writer in the opposition camp, Mokhtari has contributed to many liberal newspapers and is famous for his critical stance against the regime," reports RSF. Mokhtari, who security forces had arrested repeatedly, was trying to organise a professional association of writers "to foster public support for liberal ideas aiming at reforming the present system," says RSF. "His disappearance has been linked to elements in the establishment attempting to suppress increasingly open challenges to Iranian authorities," ways WAN. In 1994, he was one of 134 intellectuals who signed a manifesto demanding freedom of speech in Iran.

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ENCUENTRAN CUERPO DE ESCRITOR DESAPARECIDO

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ÉCRIVAIN TROUVÉ MORT APRÈS AVOIR ÉTÉ PORTÉ DISPARU

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AUTHOR FOUND DEAD AFTER DISAPPEARANCE

The body of author and translator Majid Sharif, who disappeared after he left home on 20 November 1998, was identified on 24 November by his family in a morgue in Tehran, reports the Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of International PEN. WiPC says, "While it is at present unclear what occurred, there are fears that his disappearance and death may be connected to his calls in his writings for a more modern interpretation of Islam." The body bore no signs of beating or torture, and a report in the official press suggests he had suffered a heart attack.