(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has called for the immediate release of Abbas Kakavand, who was imprisoned on 7 June 2004 on charges of “disseminating false news” following a series of articles he wrote for the website http://www.gooya.com since February, after leaving the conservative daily “Ressalat”. The articles criticised corruption and political payments received by many conservative […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has called for the immediate release of Abbas Kakavand, who was imprisoned on 7 June 2004 on charges of “disseminating false news” following a series of articles he wrote for the website http://www.gooya.com since February, after leaving the conservative daily “Ressalat”. The articles criticised corruption and political payments received by many conservative leaders.
RSF described the jailing of Kakavand as “clear evidence of the systematic violation of press freedoms in Iran,” pointing out that it comes only days before talks on human rights are scheduled to get under way between the Islamic Republic and the European Union (EU).
“It appears the EU has not yet realised that the free expression situation has become much worse since this so-called “constructive dialogue” with Iran began more than three years ago,” the organisation said.
“No journalist is impervious to the repression, not even those who have worked for one of the most pro-government newspapers. Farsi-language websites, which play a major role in disseminating news, are being monitored more and more closely. The Islamic Republic continues to claim that it adheres to international human rights standards, in which case it should immediately release the 13 journalists currently imprisoned in Iran,” RSF said.
Charges were brought against Kakavand during a Tehran Criminal Court hearing on 7 June. The court ordered his immediate imprisonment after he was unable to post the 100 million-rial (approx. US$14,000; 11,600 euros) bail. His articles criticising political corruption had appeared in both reformist dailies and on http://www.gooya.com, a popular site which the authorities had blocked for several days, along with other reformist sites, in the run-up to the legislative elections last February.
He was first summoned by judicial authorities on 3 April. On the day of his 7 June hearing, the website published an interview in which he accused most conservative political leaders and members of the overwhelmingly conservative Parliament of “stealing from the coffers of the Imam Khomeini foundation” to finance their electoral campaigns. In the interview he named Hadad Adel, the current parliamentary speaker.
