(RSF/IFEX) – RSF is concerned about the fate of ten journalists whose trial, to be held in camera, is scheduled to start on 8 January 2002 in the revolutionary court. They face the death penalty. “We have full reason to fear that these journalists will not be given a fair trial. To date, their lawyers […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF is concerned about the fate of ten journalists whose trial, to be held in camera, is scheduled to start on 8 January 2002 in the revolutionary court. They face the death penalty. “We have full reason to fear that these journalists will not be given a fair trial. To date, their lawyers have not had access to their clients’ files or even to the bills of indictment,” noted RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard. “We ask the Iranian authorities to make the trial public. We also protest against the fact that international observers have been unable to obtain visas to attend the trial,” he added.
Reza Alijani, Ezatollah Sahabi, Hoda Saber, Saide Madani (from “Iran-é-Farda”), Taghi Rahmani (from “Omid-é-Zangan”), Ali-Reza Redjaï, Mohammad Bastehnaghar (from “Asr-é-Azadegan”), Reza Raïs-Toussi, Morteza Kazemian (from “Fath”) and Ahmad Zeid-Abadi (from “Hamshari”) are accused of “subversive activities against the state” and “blasphemy”, both charges that are punishable by the death sentence. Five of these journalists are currently in jail and some of them, including 75-year-old Sahabi, have been there for over a year.
One of the journalists who is to stand trial on 8 January, Alijani, 2001 RSF – Fondation de France prize-winner, has spent 295 days in jail. On 24 February 2001, the suspended monthly “Iran-é-Farda”‘s editor-in-chief was arrested by security agents and incarcerated by order of the revolutionary court, without explanation. He was released on bail on 16 December.
In addition to the ten journalists who are standing trial, five intellectuals have also been charged with “subversive activities against the state”.
