In a letter to President Mohamad Khatami, RSF expressed its concern over the prosecution of Yadollah Eslami, Ghafour Garchasebi and Saïd Hajarian, editors of the reformist dailies “Fath”, “Asr-azadegan” and “Sobh-e-emrouz”, respectively. RSF asked the president to ensure that the charges against the three editors are dropped. The organisation expressed its preoccupation over the “pressure […]
In a letter to President Mohamad Khatami, RSF expressed its concern over the prosecution of Yadollah Eslami, Ghafour Garchasebi and Saïd Hajarian, editors of the reformist dailies “Fath”, “Asr-azadegan” and “Sobh-e-emrouz”, respectively. RSF asked the president to ensure that the charges against the three editors are dropped. The organisation expressed its preoccupation over the “pressure being exerted against the reformist press for months.”
According to the information gathered by RSF, on 16 January 2000, Eslami, Garchasebi and Hajarian appeared before the press court. They were prosecuted for having reprinted an interview with Ayatollah Ali Hossein Montazeri, which originally appeared in the British daily “The Guardian” on 13 January. Any printed references to Ayatollah Montazeri, who has been under house arrest since 1989, are punished with heavy sentences.
