(RSF/IFEX) – In a 22 July 1999 letter sent to the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mohammad Khatami, RSF protested the arrest of an editor of the moderate daily “Sobh Emrooz”. RSF stated that “taking into account that detention before a trial is out of proportion for a press offence, (it) requested that […]
(RSF/IFEX) – In a 22 July 1999 letter sent to the president of the Islamic
Republic of Iran, Mohammad Khatami, RSF protested the arrest of an editor of
the moderate daily “Sobh Emrooz”. RSF stated that “taking into account that
detention before a trial is out of proportion for a press offence, (it)
requested that the journalists be released immediately.”
On 20 July, Kazem Shokri was arrested on charges of “insulting Islam” in an
article. He has been reportedly imprisoned after being summoned to appear in
court by the Tehran Justice Department in connection with the publication of
an article.
RSF reminded the president that two recently arrested journalists arrested
recently are still in jail: Hechmatollah Tabarzadi, the editor-in-chief of
the weekly “Hoviyat-é-Khich”, and Morad Veissi, an editor for the daily
“Salam”, which was suspended on 7 July (see IFEX alerts of 8 July, 7 July,
24 June, 22 June and 17 June 1999).